Sex Ed 101
by kokoro77
Summary: Roxas wishes summer vacation would never end. Who wants to end up in Sex Education in an all boys school? Especially when you're paired up with the new bad boy in town... -AkuRoku- -sequel posted-
1. Chapter One: Since when do you

_Date Started: June 16, 2006_

Sex Ed 101

Introduction-Perspective

So, you're probably wondering about the title, right? Well, I wonder that too. No, I don't think the author is psychotic, heck, that author just happens to be me. But, back to the point: Yes, Sex Ed 101; probably one of the scariest classes you could ever step foot in or, for some, one of the best chances for some missed sleep. I'm categorized into the first description. Once school gets out, I heard that you can already hear those relieved voices from the graduating classes. Sadly, that's a category I'm not in..._yet_. The only thing I can look forward to is the end of the school year when I don't have to put up with the 'magic' of that classroom to the left of the hallway. The thing is, no matter what, it's required to take it every year.

Rule number one in my book: don't be stupid. That's why I try not to overreact...but, moving from Twilight Town Middle School to Twilight Town High is a different story. You're probably thinking 'it doesn't sound different'. Oh, right, probably 'cause I forgot to mention: **it's an all boy's high school**. Things will definitely take a turn for the worst once summer vacation leaves and classroom number thirteen takes over.

Chapter One: "Since when do _you_ read the newspaper?"

I never, not once in my life, took a single day of summer for granted. Who in their right mind would? Hayner always told me it was all about the blue skies and the sea salt ice cream. Olette said it's all about the travel while Pence lazily said it's all about sleeping in. I agree with all of them, actually. No school, no homework, no curfews, absolute paradise. It's like summer's a different world for teens! Yeah...a whole different world. A completely different...

"_ROXAS!"_

Hastily, I bolted up from my pillow, feeling the heat of summer brush against my face. I turned to my window which was left wide open and figured I must have left it that way by accident. Scratching my head, I yawned and flopped back on my bed, wishing that summer would never come to a close.

"Roxas! Get up and get dressed!"

Remembering that someone had woke me up with their voice, I turned on my pillow to face mom: fuming with her arms crossed in the center of my doorway. Great...now I'm in for it. Bashfully, I smiled and sat up, nonchalantly ruffling the back of my spiky blonde hair. "Oh, morning, mom!"

"Don't you 'good morning, mom' me, Roxas! I told you to go to bed early last night so you could wake up early to meet with your brother," she lectured, tapping her foot against the floor. Mom was just one of those people that lived to lecture their kids. Actually, I found it pretty amusing to watch her point her finger at my brother when he did something wrong. She sort of took the role as father in the family ever since dad passed away when I was only two years old. My older brother was three at the time but he barely remembers anything about dad. Mom always told us that we looked a lot like dad. Besides that, it was really all she ever told us about him. I didn't want to believe her though. Looking in the mirror at my own reflection didn't look like a father to me.

"Did _he_ wake up early?" I asked, putting emphasis to the word 'he'.

Mom sighed disappointedly and shook her head, her long, low pony tail wagging at the back of her head. "Does he ever?"

I laughed and walked to the door, feeling her push roughly at my shoulder as I approached the hallway. Mom left my side when we passed the stairway, reminding me to comb my hair as she descended the steps. Letting the information go through one ear and slip out the other, I shut the bathroom door behind me. Now that I think about it, in a way, I wished summer would be over quicker.

* * *

"Did you comb your hair, Roxas?" Mom yelled from the living room, hearing me slip into the dining room.

I pulled my arm through my backpack strap and turned toward the table, my eyes falling upon a newspaper being held up at the end of it. I shook my head and scoffed, pulling up a chair beside the strange newspaper wielder. "Since when do _you_ read the newspaper?" I asked suspiciously, peering around an article based on weight loss.

There was a light laugh and the papers suddenly fell to the surface of the table. "Since this happened just last night," Sora, my older brother, replied while thrusting a finger somewhere to the left of the page he held smack down on the table.

I eyed him awkwardly then turned my attention to where he was pointing, beginning to read out loud. "'_Unknown gang of 4 attempts to burn down abandoned mansion beyond Twilight Town woods: Story by Olette," _I paused and blinked in surprise. "I didn't know Olette wrote for the paper!"

Sora sighed and grabbed the back of my head, forcing it back in the direction of the article. "Keep reading!" He demanded.

"Ok, ok, alright! Geez..." Rubbing the back of my head, I found my place in the article and read again, "'_Last night, at approximately 8:30 pm, two residents of Twilight Town were casually taking a stroll through the woods when the couple spotted unknown shadows running amongst the trees. Worried that the shadows belonged to the mystery gang of Twilight Town, the couple notified officers to apprehend the suspected trouble makers,"_ I paused again and laughed to myself, imagining Olette spending all night to write a third grade style of report. "'_Before officers could catch the mischievous shadows, they were able to make a run for it just before setting an abandoned mansion in flames. This is what the police suspect considering the fact that there was a tank of gasoline and a packet of matches left behind. Police suspect that this gang is the very one that was nearly caught painting graffiti on the north wall of Twilight Town Middle School._"

I averted my eyes from the black print and turned toward Sora who was shaking his head. Sora was always one of the more trustworthy guys when he was in middle school. He scored some of the highest grades in a few classes but wasn't exactly Mr. Genius when it came to math. His spiky brunette hair matched mine almost exactly that if he were blonde, people said we would appear as twins. Since mom was blonde, Sora said he must have gotten the trait from dad and called me a mommy's boy because I looked more like her. As if he would know what dad looked like anyway! How could he be so sure? Regardless of how much I despised him at times, I have to always keep in mind that we're stuck together no matter what.

"Can you believe those guys?" He asked, pushing away from the table before standing.

"They're a gang. It's what they do," I replied, folding up the sheets of dirty paper that lay scattered on the countertop.

"No, gang or not, it's still pretty stupid what they're doing to the town. Didn't you hear?" He turned toward me, his hands slamming against the table.

I jerked my head up at him and placed the newspaper to the side. "What?"

"I heard Seifer's thinking about packing up and leaving," He stated, crossing his arms over his chest.

"W-What!" I blurted out, nearly falling backward in my seat. Seifer? Leaving? I could recall shuddering at the very mentioning of his name when I was in the first grade. Seifer was always the big shot in Twilight Town. Always showing off to the world that he was the best of best. On occasion, I found him beating a kid up for their lunch money in the back of the school cafeteria and blaming someone else for it. When I was in first grade, he and his little group of pals were in the second grade. Right when I entered the hallways, Seifer dubbed me his official 'first grade buddy'. I didn't know what caused him to be so angry with me or why he chose me to be his 'buddy' out of all my other classmates. Maybe if I had arrived to school on time that day, I wouldn't have met him.

"What?" I repeated, kneeling forward with my stunned eyes glued to Sora's face.

Sora laughed playfully and grabbed at his green backpack that had been hanging loosely around the arm of the chair next to me and swung it on his back. "Yeah. I think you should be pretty relieved to hear that news," He added, ruffling up the hair at the back of my head, messing it up even more.

I let off a low growl but let it slide, thinking that if I started something mom would come barging in with her finger out and ready. "Where'd you hear that?" I asked, pushing away from the table before standing.

"Hmm? Oh, Riku told me. He did some eavesdropping on the latest gossip after that news about the graffiti incident happened," He paused, fumbling around in his backpack before pulling out a small red apple that I assumed had been there since last month. "He called me up yesterday and told me to let you know. He really looks out for you I guess," He paused again, taking a bite out of the apple to which I nearly gagged.

"Oh sure. All he ever did was baby-sit me, literally." I could recall the time when I was seven when Riku was watching me while mom and Sora went to parent teacher conferences. Riku probably didn't see that I was snoozing on the living room couch and sat on me by mistake.

Sora swallowed and laughed again, probably thinking of the same thing I was. "I've been calling him fat-ass ever since!"

"Sora!"

Instantly, both Sora and I straightened. I shot my deep blue eyes in the direction of the dining room doorway while Sora kept his back away from it. I didn't realize he was nervous until I saw his nails nearly digging into the surface of his unfinished apple. I couldn't help but let out a stifled laugh. Sora glared at me and mouthed something I couldn't understand although I had a feeling it was a cuss.

"Roxas!"

My laughing ceased and I looked up, clearing my throat once. "Mom?" I asked casually.

"Oh, now you're in for it," Sora mouthed, a sly grin curling his lips.

"Shut up!" I mouthed back, trying to be as illegible as I could so mom couldn't read my lips.

"What're you two still doing here? You should have left a long time ago!" Mom began folding a piece of yellow paper in her hand and walked toward Sora's turned back, eying him awkwardly. "Sora, turn around," She muttered, heaving a fatigued sigh.

Sora did, slowly, while I stepped forward to join him, staring blankly at the yellow paper in mom's slender hand.

"We...were?" Sora asked, glancing over at me once for an answer but I shook my head, not knowing anything.

"What am I supposed to do with you two?" Mom muttered, shaking her head at the floor then turning back toward our shamed faces. "Tomorrow's the first day of school and you two haven't gone out for supplies yet."

Suddenly I felt my face heat up and felt a light turn on in my head. _"Damn it! How could I forget!"_ Slapping my forehead, I groaned and cursed in my head.

Sora slumped forward and sighed, his eyes filled with disappointment. "Tomorrow? Already? Man, this summer's gone by too fast."

I watched mom tap her foot against the carpet and stared at the paper again, wishing I could grab it from her and throw it in a fire. Then again, being alive would've be better so I kept quiet, resisting the temptation to swear.

"Here. Sora, you and Roxas have the same supplies so I'm just going to hand you Roxas' list," She said, thrusting the piece in Sora's hands before crossing her arms. "You've got all day today to get the things you need but, seeing as it's the last day of summer vacation, your curfew is eight tonight. Got it?" She lectured, switching her bright sapphire eyes from me to Sora then back again.

I nodded and Sora did the same. I walked ahead of him with my head slightly lowered, thinking about what tomorrow would be like. I didn't love the fact that I was moving on to High School and wished I could have repeated eight grade over and over until they would have to kick me out. Then I wouldn't have to put up with the stress of High School. Sometimes I wished that school never existed and that summer would always be around. I could spend as much time as I wanted at the beach, skateboarding, or even lounging on my roof. There's more to life...I knew that there was.

Stepping into the sunset drenched streets, I held on tightly to my backpack strap, thinking back to the newspaper article. Maybe being in a gang wouldn't be so bad. You would be able to do so many things without playing by the rules. How lucky were those guys? Maybe I was just being a dreamer. Another hopeless dreamer.

Taking a few more steps forward, I heard mom's same hotheaded voice from behind, "And, Sora, I'd advise you to watch your language too."

* * *


	2. Chapter Two: I'll remember that name

I forgot to add a disclaimer and an author's note in the first chapter! Meeeep! (pouts) Hmm...well, chapter two is always a good place to fix that, right? So, before we venture further into the adventures of supply shopping...!

**Disclaimer: I do not own ANY of the KHI or KHII characters no matter how much I wish I owned Axel and Roxas so I could make them be happy together. ( ahem, yes...yaoi is gewd...yes, GEWD Oh plus: includes swearing, possible drug use, mentions of rape, alcohol use, and YAOI. ahem, yay! there might be more dangers but...I am too sleepy to think right now... > it's 3 o' clock in the morning ppl!**

**Author note: Well, making this story was definitely awkward at first because I had no idea how to portray Roxas in his POV. But, I had gone through making an Inuyasha story all the way through in his POV so I thought, what the he...heck? ) Might as well! That's when I thought of this story about high school life. Yes, the thing is...it's dangerously non original since a lot of people use it. Oh well! I'm trying to make it as originally mine as possible so no one gets bored! I hope...(hides in corner) Oo Well, enjoy chapter two!**

Chapter Two: "I'll remember that name..."

"Man, I hate shopping," I muttered, stepping into the coolness of the grocery store. Clothes, shoes, groceries, toothpaste, I hated it all! "If you ask me, it should be mom doing the shopping." Hearing no reply, I looked up from the tiled ground and glanced over my shoulder, my eyes falling upon Sora hiding behind a garbage can. I blinked in confusion and looked beyond him, trying to spot what ever he was hiding from. "Uhm, Sora? What're you...?"

"Shh!" He whispered, pressing his index finger over his mouth after facing toward me.

I rolled my eyes at him and scoffed, thrusting my hands in my pockets while waiting for him to be done. Sometimes he made me feel like the older brother considering the fact that I had to watch him instead of vice versa. The only time I could remember him hiding like this was when...wait...

Thinking fast, I shot my eyes across the street, scanning the sidewalk for _her_. That's when she came into full view: white handbag wrapped over her shoulder, plain white dress, and pale blonde hair; Namine. She always had this thing for both of us that scared Sora something awful. Me: I didn't care for her at all. Namine was the sort of girl that people in Twilight Town went to if they needed petsitting done. Although she was the same age as me, fifteen, she always seemed like she was stuck in the nine year old stage of life. She went ga-ga for flowers and animals of different kinds but, ever since we met in first grade, both Sora and I became her next long-lasting obsession.

Shuddering once, I watched her absently pet a white daisy before strolling back down the sidewalk, disappearing amongst the flood of people. I turned toward Sora again who had been peering cowardly around the garbage bin, and shook my head. "Can we _please _just get this over with?" I asked impatiently, already turning to pick up a shopping cart.

"Man, that girl freaks me out so much!" I heard at my back as I pushed the shopping cart ahead of me.

"You had the biggest crush on Kairi, though," I teased over my shoulder.

"Shut up!" He retorted. I heard his footsteps hurrying behind me and sighed.

"Just concentrate on this stupid supply shopping, will ya?" I growled, entering the first aisle with Sora lagging behind. In the first grade, I thought supply shopping was the coolest thing in the world. School seemed to be like the coolest thing in the world at that age. That and bugs. Sora and I would always fight over who would get the last blue folder or the pack of racing pencils. In the end, we'd both have to share them. What was I supposed to expect out of High School? No one expects to see you writing an essay with a racing pencil or keeping your papers in a superhero binder. Things were different now. I wished they weren't...maybe if dad was still alive I would have been able to understand growing up a little better. Maybe if he was still alive, he would be the one shopping for supplies instead of me.

Throwing a pack of number two pencils into the cart, I grabbed the list from Sora, checking off the things we had and checking for the things we didn't with boredom. "Ok, you check for paper and I'll go around for the text books."

Sora laughed to himself when I handed the paper back to him. I raised an eyebrow and turned to face him.

"What's so funny?" I asked stubbornly.

"N-nothing! I just...I just thought of something...!" Failing to stifle his laughing, Sora kept his mouth covered and walked off, disappearing around the corner of the aisle with his head lowered.

"Pft, yeah right," I scoffed and continued to push the cart, staring blankly at the rulers and pens that rattled inside. It didn't hit me until I approached aisle eight. I held the cart back and paused, gaping at the mass of books to my right. The whole aisle smelled of paper and newsprint. This was it...the text books...great. Hesitantly, I left the cart where it was and moved on down the seemingly endless aisle. I thought of what came first on the book list: math books. Now those, I could tolerate. Pacing the floor, I scanned through the shelves, occasionally pulling out a book that was either past my level or far behind. Throwing the History book into the cart and slipping the kindergarten book back where it was, I stared down the aisle, thinking of what was last.

"_Oh...crap,"_ I whispered in my head. What was that book supposed to look like? I didn't want to think about the cover or who arranged it. I just thought about grabbing it off the shelf and tossing it in the cart face side down. Yeah, that sounded reasonable.

"Right," I said to myself, slowly pacing back down the aisle, not sure of what I was really searching for. "Don't overreact, Roxas. It's just a book. It's just a book..." I sighed, repeating that message in my head before finally my eyes met with the binding of a thin, dark blue hardback. Engraved on the side in white read, _"Sex Education 101: Grades 9-12"_

"Hello..." I mumbled, imagining the book smiling up at me, eager for me to buy it.

"You're just a book. That's it! Exactly!" Nodding my head in confidence, I reached forward, my fingers wrapping around its firm covers, and quickly pulled it free from the shelf.

"There. You can stop nagging at me now, ok?" I smiled, impressed that I was acting mature about the situation, and held it up to my face, actually relieved that the cover was nothing but plain text.

"So this is what I've been so freaked out about? This thin little book? I bet I'll be able to..." Boldly, I flipped through the pages and suddenly stopped dead near the middle of chapter five about same gender sex.

"Roxas!"

Instantly, I shut the book tight and looked up, realizing that I had been reading into the subject. "Uh, Sora?" I called down the aisle, walking back to the cart to place the hardback with all the others.

"What size paper did we need again!" Sora called back, his voice seeming like he was only a few aisles away.

I paused and shook my head. "Didn't you check the list!"

"It doesn't say!"

"Mom always got us the one with the thin lines!"

"What!"

Groaning, I got behind the cart and pushed it at a fast pace, staring at the bookshelf at an attempt to see Sora through the gaps in between the books. "The small lined one!"

"What!"

"The...whoa, shit!" There was a flash of red before I collided with the hard ground underneath me. Another pained swear floated amongst the clattering of a few ballpoint pens sliding across the floor and I cringed. With one eye tightly shut and one hand atop my head, I stared up at the cart then at the ground where I sat miserably.

"Oh, man..." I groaned and recalled the yell I had heard and quickly brought my attention to whomever I crashed into, hoping it wasn't Namine or Seifer. But no, the voice was too swift to be Seifer's and obviously belonged to a young male, not a girl. As I thought, the voice had belonged to a teen, probably older than me, who sat just as miserably as I was on the other end of the cart with his hand rubbing at the back of his neck.

"Hey, sorry about that," I apologized, opening both my eyes now.

Saying nothing, he ruffled the back of his low, spiked, crimson hair and bit his bottom lip, his almond shaped pupils glaring threateningly at me.

I lowered my eyes and stared at the floor again, hoping that he wouldn't kill me. My eyes slowly moved over to a folded yellow paper with a soda stain lying only a foot away from me. "Hey, are you enrolling at Twilight Town High?" I asked, trying to sound as friendly as possible.

Using the end of the cart, he stood from the ground and brushed off the dirt from his halfway zipped black sports jacket. I stared up at him, amazed at his height, and watched him reach forward for the paper without saying a word. When he withdrew his hand I was able to catch sight of a dark bruise of his wrist before he pulled himself back up. I only hoped I hadn't given it to him. He was slimmer than most teens in Twilight Town and definitely more unique in appearance. Most guys in Twilight Town had blonde, brown, or black hair but his must have been naturally fire red.

Carefully, I stood from the ground, still rubbing my head, and stared quietly at him.

Finally, he broke the silence by scoffing. "Yeah, looks like you're doin' the same." I watched his teal eyes gaze over at the books in my cart and nodded once. He let out a low chuckle and tucked the paper in the pocket of his slightly bagged jeans.

"I'm just getting into ninth grade."

"Same," He replied, slipping a thin toothpick in between his lips. I found that hard to believe considering the fact that he looked at least two years older than me but I said nothing, thinking it would offend him if I asked. He began to eye me for sometime, chewing vacantly at the toothpick he pulled from his pocket. "Did you get held back or what?" He finally said.

"Huh? No...I'm on track..." I said slowly, eying him back. Apparently he had the guts to ask about my grade.

"Oh, really? How'd they accept someone as air headed as you?"

I gaped at him, feeling a sudden heat run through my veins. "What?" I nearly snapped.

"You heard me. You clearly don't have any sense of where you are," His eyes sparkled evilly up at me.

"Hey, watch what you're throwing at me, 'kay? I'm not looking to pick a fight with you," I snapped, curling my hands into fists.

"Ooo, temper, temper," He said, amusement wrapped around his words. "That trait doesn't get you far in school, ya know. Might just earn you a one way ticket to a repeat at the end of the year...not like you haven't been there before."

"What!" I retorted. I could feel my face heating up and my fists were eagerly waiting for me to send a punch across his face. One more word...that's all he had to say...one simple...

"What's the matter, blondie? Can't take the heat?" He scoffed and laughed to himself in a laugh I found extremely annoying.

"Ugh! THAT'S IT!" Without thinking of where I was or what I was doing, I raised my right fist already anxious to see him begging for mercy on the floor underneath me. _I'm so sorry! Don't hurt me anymore! _Then again, that just sounded cheesy. He continued to stare at me with his sparkling teal eyes, not seeming to take any interest in the punch I was about to throw.

"Roxas! What the hell are you doing!"

In a split second, I felt my hand being held back by my older brother's grasp. I fought him, attempting to slip my wrist away from his hold. "Let me go! What the...damn it!" I hated him trying to butt into my business. I hated him always trying to make me follow his rules. I hated him! "It's not your business, damn it!" I cursed, forcefully elbowing Sora in the stomach.

"You make it my business!" He yelled, bringing my arm back further until I could feel my muscle being pulled. All the time we fought, I kept one eye on my new enemy, fuming at him and his amusement until I was able to break free with a newly pulled muscle. Cursing under my breath, I rubbed my slightly injured arm, now wanting to send a blow to both of them.

"Don't be stupid, Roxas! Think about where you are!" Sora exclaimed in a mature tone of voice, facing me from the side although I ignored his presence completely. I would just have to deal with him later.

The teen before me chuckled to himself and pulled the toothpick out of his mouth, staring down on both of us with a scheming sort of look swirling in his eyes. "So, looking to big brother to help pick your fights?"

"Let it go, Axel," I heard Sora state calmly. Finally I had a name.

"Let it go? You've gotta be kidding me!" Axel joked and shook his head, keeping his attention to me even though he was talking with Sora. I had stopped rubbing my arm by now even though the sensation of pain still burned from my elbow to my wrist. Axel seemed to notice my anger flare and cocked his head to the side. "Wait a sec; don't tell me this is your little brother, kid?" He inquired, using his toothpick to point at my body.

"It's Sora. You know that."

"Right..." Axel rolled his eyes and waited.

"You've never met him but, this is Roxas."

I glared over my shoulder at the way Sora was acting and let a growl escape my throat. "Can't you just leave me to talk with him?" I asked impatiently.

"You've done your talking, Roxas. So just cool down, alright?" Sora snapped.

"Well, _Roxas_," Axel began, leaning forward when he mentioned my name, "I'm lookin' forward to this school year already."

"Piss off," I hissed, averting my eyes away from him. I didn't want to have anything to do with him anymore. Now I had to put up with this guy for a full year? Now I _really_ wished summer would never end.

"Roxas..." Sora whispered but I ignored him again, watching as Axel tossed his toothpick at his feet and turned his back on us, not bothering to respond. With a simple: "See ya." He slipped out of the aisle and out of the automatic doors, out of sight. From outside I could hear muffled voices talking amongst themselves and assumed he had just rejoined with his buddies. I didn't care and let out a frustrated yell.

"_Axel...I'll remember that name..."_

* * *

**I don't plan to update this until I recieve at least ten reviews forthis chapterbecause this story is taking up much of my time. I'm guessing it's going to be around30 something chapters really! Haha, so I hope I can hear what you have to say to inspire me to keep going! Arigato gozaimasu! (insert anime smily face here)**


	3. Chapter Three: Part I First Day of Hell

**Author's Note: Yay! Tahnk you so much for those who reviewed! Really, I greatly appreciate the responses because they truly _do_ inspire me to keep going. It's sort of like...hmm...if no one commented on a certain flavor of ice cream then the makers wouldn't know if they're doing well or not and would stop for a while...huh? Does that make sense? ehehe...I hope I didn't confuse you there. (insert smiley) Well, I spent a while doing this chapter and I hope it's good! Enjoy Chapter Three! (insert second smiley)**

Chapter Three: Part I-First Day of Hell

"You made it my business! What was I supposed to do!"

"You were supposed to back off and stay out of my life at least long enough to give me enough time to teach him a lesson!" I couldn't remember the last time I was this burned up but I hated it when I did. Whenever I got angry, I didn't go ballistic but I tended to take my anger out on other people without realizing it hurt them. If I could change one thing about myself, it would definitely be to change my attitude when things got rough.

Slamming the door behind me, I ignored the muffled yell of, _"Who's slamming doors!"_ from downstairs and pressed my back against my bedroom door with a heaved sigh. Trying to control myself now, I placed my hand on the doorknob and switched it locked, literally dead bolting the world away for me to cool down. Staring around the room, I didn't realize it had gotten late until I had to nearly squint my eyes just to catch the slightest glimpse of my bed. I kept the light off and ran my fingers through my blonde hair, constantly telling myself in my head to think of something else for a while.

Easily, I slid my back down against the doors surface until I was sitting with one leg out and the other pulled to my chest. I wanted to call Hayner and tell him everything but, knowing him, he was probably relaxing somewhere, enjoying the last day of summer as best he could...something I wished I should have done today instead of ending up on the floor.

"_Hey, Roxas..."_

Feeling three soft knocks at my back, I turned my head until I had my ear pressed against the hard wood. "What?" I asked sternly.

"_...You still mad?"_ The subdued voice asked slowly.

"What do you think?"

There was a pause until I heard a hard movement at my back and assumed Sora had pressed his own back to the outside of the door. My eyes vacantly stared up at the glow-in-the-dark stars pasted to my wall and I sighed.

"_Look, I'm sorry I upset you..."_

"It wasn't you," I began, "it was that guy. He's the one that treated me like an idiot."

"_Roxas, even though he threw those words at you, you should've ignored 'em. You're better than violence; you know that."_

"How did you expect me to react then? He didn't seem like the type that would let me go easily."

"_It's just who he is."_

"Well, why does he have to be who he is then?"

"_Why? It's what sets him apart from other people like you do, right?"_

"I hate his guts so much..." I hissed, bringing my eyes down to my legs.

"_I think I figured that already,"_ I heard him chuckle from the other side and rolled my eyes, staring down at my opened right palm afterward.

"_You know, I hated him too when I first met him."_

I looked up and turned my head over my shoulder. "How _do_ you know him? Don't tell me you're friends with him?"

He laughed again. "Are you crazy? We're not friends but I'm friends with his brother."

Brother...he couldn't have been talking about...? Curiosity flooding my mind, I searched for words to say but stumbled over all of them. "Wait...you're...he...who...?"

"_They might not look it, but, Axel and Riku are brothers, non-identical twins. Both are 17."_

"For real?" I asked, feeling as if I had just been shown the greatest trick of all time.

"_Yup. Riku's the youngest and I didn't meet Axel until two years after Riku and I became best buds."_

"Why, was he missing or something?"

"_No, he was just secluded from other people I guess. He started one year late for school so technically, Riku's ahead of him."_

I scratched my head in confusion and shook my head. "So...Riku's in the 11th grade and Axel's held back in the 9th...? _And he said I was being held back..._" I mumbled in annoyance.

"_Well, sort of. See, he started a year late but skipped one year because he stayed in Hallow Bastion for that whole year. I don't really know what he did there...but whatever the reason, he was probably trying to ditch school time."_

"Geez, he's probably more confused than I am."

"_Yeah...he..."_

"_Sora! Roxas! Tomorrow's a school day so get to bed!"_

"_Alright, mom! In a sec!"_ I heard Sora call back and felt his weight move away from the door. But what was he trying to say?

"Wait! Sora! What about him?" I called back, knocking on the door once to capture his attention.

"_It's nothing,"_ He said cheerfully, his voice already fading away from my room. _"Better get to bed now or you'll miss role call tomorrow!"_ By then, he was gone.

I groaned lightly and rubbed the back of my head. By now, nothing but moonlight was my aid to see in the dimmed bedroom. I had thought about cleaning my room a bit. Actually, I had set it as a goal at the beginning of summer. Yet there it was, dirty shirts, empty boxes, old homework assignments, and one shoe all under the spotlight for me to see. I swiftly laid my eyes upon the digital clock at my bedside and read, 8:00, in bright red letters. Just watching that sharp color made me think back to Axel and I gritted my teeth. If Seifer wasn't going to leave, then chances were he would become easy friends with Axel. Great, double luck for me.

I shifted where I sat and pulled my legs closer to my body until they were pulled closely to my chest. Feeling the weight of my thoughts drift into drowsiness, I lowered my head to my knees and shut my eyes. Nothing was going to be the same by tomorrow.

"_Good morning Twilight Town! Looks like today's gonna be another hot one as we slip away from summer and enter the season of autumn. Here's a shout out to the students actually attending school today, we wish you guys a smooth school year and an extra note to Twilight Town all boy's High School, you know actually, I attended that school when I was a kid and, man, I've gotta tell ya..."_

* * *

I awoke to the voice of the radio announcer's same annoyingly caffeinated voice that morning and fluttered my eyes open. "Ugh, do you ever stop talking?" I groaned, reaching to my side for my alarm clock but met with air instead. "Huh?" Jolting my head up, I turned to my side and realized I had slept through the night on the floor. "Oh, man!"

Quickly, I pushed away from the door and stood, running to switch the alarm of. "Ok, ok, what time is it?" I lifted the clock to eye level and gaped at it, immediately throwing it on the ground before turning for the closet. "Thirty minutes! Who sleeps in thirty minutes late! Ok, uhm, uniform, uniform, crap! Where's my uniform!" I knew I should have cleaned my room a long time ago and cursed at myself for not doing it. Now I had to put up with digging through the mass of shirts that hung from inside the cluttered space. "Uniform, uniform...aha! There you are!"

A bit relieved, I pulled the black outfit free from the mess and dusted it off. "Good? Ok, we're good. Now I just have to..."

"Roxas!"

I felt myself twitch at the sound of Sora's voice and nearly tripped over a laundry basket as I turned to face him. To my surprise, he was still in his pajamas.

"I forgot to set my alarm last night..." He mumbled, squeezing a stripe of toothpaste onto his toothbrush before darting away toward the hallway bathroom.

"Hey! Leave the door unlocked!" I called after him, hurriedly pulling the black pants over my boxers before realizing they were on backwards. No, really, what was I supposed to expect from High School?

* * *

I didn't think it was humanly possible to not get caught by your mom if you committed a so called 'crime'. Especially if your mom happens to be my mom. By the time Sora and I entered the kitchen, uniforms on correctly and backpacks in hand, mom didn't follow until we were nearly done scarfing down our bowls of cereal.

Tightening the silver sports watch around my wrist, I tossed my bowl into the sink and nearly bumped into her when she approached me from behind.

"Is it me or are you...?"

"Can't talk mom! Gotta go!" I heard Sora yell from behind her and I peered over mom's shoulder at him.

"Yeah, see ya!" I grabbed at my backpack and swung it over my shoulder, racing after Sora into the living room with mom staring blankly at us from behind. The second Sora had the door open wide, I darted out, heart racing and mind swimming with thoughts I couldn't even bother to stop and wonder about. I continued to run, although I was guessing where the direction of the school was. Apparently, I was doing fine so far and continued on down the brick patterned streets and alleyways.

Twilight Town was one of those worlds that felt great to run through. No matter where you ran, you always ended up somewhere you wanted to be. Whether it be the rooftops, the beach, or even school, Twilight Town seemed to create a better way of arriving there. I couldn't explain it clearly...it's just what I thought of it.

Turning the last corner, I froze at the school courtyard and panted heavily, bending over to catch my breath. Sora followed shortly after, panting as I was, and stopped beside me. The courtyard was seemingly abandoned which only made me feel anxious. We were definitely late, and on the first day!

"Let's go!" I said, rushing past Sora's body and a round fountain that currently was still.

"Roxas! Wait!"

Swiftly, I skipped steps on the stairway and thrust my hand on the glass doors handle, feeling the warmth of the sun on it travel across the palm of my hand before pulling it open and darting inside, Sora following after me into the empty hallway. I suddenly froze and stared down the hall, the tall blue and khaki painted lockers stretching all the way against the alabaster walls. I could hear the sound of Sora's a my footsteps echoing of the walls as we walked and I clung to my backpack strap, disliking the feeling of no one being there.

"What's your first class?" Sora whispered to me, pulling a small white piece of paper from his pocket and scanning it over.

"Oh, uh..." I fished through my pants and finally retrieved a similar paper. At the tip titled: _'9th Grade Schedule-Trimester 1'_ while all seven days of the week were printed in a table with each days schedule underneath. "Monday...uh...History."

"Math," Sora stated confidently, tucking the paper away. He looked up again and turned to the connected hallway to our left. "That's the 10th grade hallway...you've got classroom three to the left if you keep going down this way." I watched his finger move through the air to the left of the hallway ahead of me and I nodded, watching him pace down in a separate direction now.

"See you in the cafeteria, I guess," I called to him in a hushed voice.

He simply waved once and turned away, disappearing around a corner, leaving me alone in the seemingly abandoned school as I heard his footsteps die away. I drew in a deep breath and walked on, brushing up my hair with my fingers just to keep a clean first impression. I tried to keep my mind straight and constantly told myself to ignore my newly made enemy and who ever else took me for an airhead.

"2...3." I finally stopped before a wooden door with a single window that took half of the space on its surface. Staring up at the number above the doorframe, I nodded once and took hold of the metal knob.

"_Let's see who's left here...oh, here we are, Roxas?"_

Hearing my name called, I abruptly looked up and stood frozen as ice in the open doorway, feeling the weight of so many eyes drifting over to me. I shuddered once and looked away, trying to take comfort by staring at someone I could trust, Hayner. Hayner was only a month older than me but acted as if he was a variety of ages when ever we hung out. He couldn't help but stifle a weak laugh when seeing him all dressed up in his black uniform but I quickly stopped when he glared back at me.

"You must be Roxas."

I turned to the light female voice and straightened, attempting to let my mature side get the better of me. "Yes, ma'am."

Our history teacher, I assumed, was an average sized woman with straight black hair that fell just below her shoulders. She wore a light grey turtle neck with a pair of jeans that just barely covered her white tennis shoes. In one hand she cradled a thin clipboard where I assumed the attendance sheet was while in the other was a blue ballpoint pen. She adjusted the thin book glasses on his face and smiled warmly up at me.

"You can be seated, Roxas."

"Oh, sorry. Right..." As I passed Hayner's desk, I heard him chuckle and I nudged him in the shin with my foot. I still felt eyes gazing up at me and shifted a bit uneasily for among those people was Axel and his same scheming gaze. I averted my eyes when I met with him and walked on. Luckily, I snagged a seat beside my other friend, Pence, and slipped behind the desk, throwing my backpack at my side.

"Good. Well, let's get this started," Our teacher started, gently placing her clipboard atop her desk before propping herself on it as well. She crossed her legs and folded up her glasses. "You can refer to me as Mrs. Lockhart, formally named Tifa, and for the remainder of this school year, I will be your History, PE, and Sex Education teacher."

I cringed at the thought of the last class she mentioned and rested my elbows atop my desk. By the time Mrs. Lockhart asked us to take down notes, I still felt strangely uncomfortable when I reached for my supplies in my backpack. I slowly pulled out a piece of paper and dug around for a pencil, coming up empty handed. I slumped back in my seat and sighed lightly, watching as everyone else already started their note taking.

"_Living hell..."_ I grumbled in my head and crossed my arms over my desk before something flashed by my face. I blinked and heard a sudden click against my desk and stared down, eying a brand new pencil rolling toward my chest. I quickly snatched it up and stared around the room. _"Who...?"_

I turned to Hayner but he was in the first row, too far for him to notice me from behind, then to Pence but he had borrowed a pencil from someone else, giving me the impression that he forgot as well. I turned to the left, then to the right until I realized that Axel had suddenly turned away back toward his paper. _"Axel?"_ I shook my head. Yeah, right. Not in this lifetime would that happen.

* * *

**Hn...now I wonder about that pencil...! Well, hope you didn't fall asleep on your keyboard! I really hope I did well! Again, I'm waiting on at least ten reviews before updating so please let me know how I'm doing before Chapter Four! Thank you! ;D**

**_kokoro77 MEEP_**


	4. Chapter Four: Part II Rules were Meant

**Author's note: Gomen! I've been having computer issues lately so I would like to apologize for the wait of this chapter! Well, I tried as best I could and at last I was able to type the next chapter for this story. :) Well, here's chapter Four!**

Chapter Four: Part II-Rules were Meant to be Broken

"So, get any sleep?"

"Huh? What do you mean?" I asked, confused, turning my head to face Hayner walking beside me out of the quickly emptying classroom.

He laughed to himself and nudged my shoulder roughly. "What's up with you getting here late?"

I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms behind my head as we continued strolling amongst the mass of black uniforms and shoving backpacks. Hayner always took interest in ticking me off but I gave up arguing back at him about it about a year ago. No matter what I said, he'd just laugh it off and go on teasing me. Like me, he had blonde hair but it wasn't as spiky as mine. He always told me about his plans for the future and, I'd always fear for the worst. He wanted to rush into things all the time that it worried me about where he would end up when he was ready to be by himself. Like I said, seeing him in a clean, proper black uniform made me burst out in laughter. Normally he wore fatigued clothes like camouflage pants and punk-ish t-shirts.

"I didn't hear my alarm until thirty minutes after it started..." I muttered, stopping beside him in front of what I guessed were our lockers.

"Hah. You're such an idiot..." I stared down at him when he stared into the palm of his hand and I raised an eyebrow.

"What're you _doing_?" I asked, peering over his shoulder at three smudged numbers scribbled on his skin. 3-11-24

"Oh, right!" He exclaimed, standing up to face me again. "Mrs. Lockhart gave us all locker combos when while she took role...I guess she forgot to tell you yours..."

I lowered my arms again and stared down at my plain white shoes. "Great..."

"Maybe if you run, she'll tell it to you!" Hayner bent down again and began fiddling around with the turn lock on his blue locker, scratching the side of his head after each try. "Uh...I might be here a while...what're you waiting for? Go!"

I laughed lightly and nodded, managing to dart away from his punch that was meant for my knee, and slipped into the crowd by myself. I wondered how Sora was doing right now...I sort of felt sorry for him since he was in the same class with Seifer. When I realized I had chuckled to myself, I knew I probably wasn't _that _sorry.

I didn't expect the hallways to be _this_ noisy on the first day. Normally, the new people were quiet because they were too shy but, seeing as they were already exchanging random conversation, I had a feeling I was wrong. I remembered the eight grade and how we had all ruled the entire middle school, being adored by the new fifth graders. We didn't even have a uniform then. I stared down at my outfit and sighed, knowing I would have to get used to dressing like a business director now.

Scuffing my shoes against the tile and keeping one hand loosely around my backpack strap, I turned the corner to where room number three was...at least, I thought it was there. Suddenly, I stopped to face a dead end where no one in the hallway was bothering to enter. I twitched nervously and took a single step back after noticing that four pairs of eyes were shot in my direction. "Uh..." I said blankly.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't mister sunshine..." I turned to the teen in the center and instantly recognized him as Axel. He was seated with one leg up atop a pile of unopened cardboard boxes while three other teens I didn't know were standing casually around him. I bit my lower lip at an attempt to keep from saying a word.

"Hmm? You know him?" One of the teens asked, turning his body until I had a full view of his profile. He seemed a bit younger than the rest of them and was average built. His eyes were light aqua, reminding me of Sora's, and his hair was a dirty blonde, somewhat spiked. Unlike Axel's voice, his was more cheerful and ditzy.

"Sure do," Axel replied, eying me as he spoke. "We bumped into each other at the store yesterday while he was supply shopping."

"He's Sora's younger brother..." The teen leaning against the wall spoke suddenly. Nearly half of his face was hidden behind his dark silver bangs which gave him that enigma sort of aura. He wasn't smiling and his voice was rather dark for his age.

"You know this _how_, Zexion?" The first boy asked, turning toward Zexion quickly.

Zexion shut his eyes and shrugged once, saying nothing more.

I eyed them all awkwardly...all except for Axel who I felt uncomfortable looking at. Something about the way he was looking at me made me feel like he was out to kill and I shifted nervously.

"Guys, meet Roxas." Axel stated confidently.

All except for Zexion looked my way again and smirked in a manner I hated.

"Roxas, this is Demyx," Axel added, cocking his head toward the first boy who waved with a wide smile on his face, "Zexion," looking over to the uncaring teen in the corner, "and Marluxia," facing the third teen with the light pink hair and thin eyes.

"Nice...to meet you..." I murmured slowly, already wanting to run to the next class even though I knew I'd meet them all again sometime around. I figured these guys must have been the voices I heard when Axel left the supply store that day and judged that they were just like him, being his friends and all. Demyx, on the other hand, was proving me otherwise as he continued to smile at me as if I was a lost three year old boy.

When my thoughts came to a temporary close, the school bell began ringing and was followed by the hurried noise of students rushing through the hallways to next period. Strangely, I looked up at Axel when he stood from the boxes and began walking toward me, his posse following behind. It wasn't until now that I realized he had decided not to follow the uniform rule and wore his outer shirt halfway unbuttoned to reveal the lightweight white polo underneath. It didn't occur to me that he was so _skinny_ up until now. He probably didn't bother to worry about eating but I had a strange urge to want to demand that he at least try to eat an apple. Why was I staring? _"No! Stop it!"_ I yelled in my head to shake the thoughts away.

""Demyx, stop flirting with him," he called over his shoulder at the blonde who immediately quit smiling at me.

"I was not! Geez..." I watched Demyx scratch the side of his head while Zexion shook his own, walking right passed all of us into the slowly emptying hallway.

"We'll all be late," he muttered and disappeared out of sight.

I wanted to follow Zexion but something in the way Axel was towering over me made me feel trapped. Refusing to look back, I instead turned my head toward Marluxia's direction.

"Think the teacher will go easy on us if we're a bit late?" Axel asked calmly, turning toward Marluxia for an answer.

"Yeah, right. You're in school for a reason, Axel. It's only the first day..."

Axel scoffed. "Always being the smart one..." He sighed and suddenly I felt a hard press against the top my head and I let out a sharp growl as he ruffled up my hair. "Well, looks like I'm stuck here with you."

"That's the last thing I'd ever want...get offa me!" Abrasively, I pushed his hand away and darted for the hall, completely forgetting the fact that I still needed to retrieve a locker combination from Mrs. Lockhart.

"_Axel, look what you did!"_

"_Shut up, Demyx."_

I had already passed room number three and my lockers where I had last seen Hayner. As I suspected, he wasn't there. I at least expected him to wait for me and I sighed disappointedly. I felt so confused in this school...one feeling that I didn't want to feel on the first day. When summer ended, I dreamt of nothing but a smooth school year to come. Yeah, that's what I _dreamt_. Now I was living a nightmare. Enemies, teachers, homework, it all spilled out from my mind into reality. Shrouded in silence, I looked up from the ground to the entrance doors to the school, wanting to run for them and escape to the twilight outside.

"Don't be stupid...don't be stupid, Roxas," I whispered to myself. After all, that was my rule number one. Be stupid, and chances were that you would end up in a situation you didn't want to be trapped in. But, still, as I walked along to next class, which I knew I was already late for, I knew I was breaking that rule no matter what I demanded from myself.

"Roxas! What took you so long?"

As I pushed back the two swinging doors, Hayner's voice instantly came in contact with me and I nearly jumped. "How late am I?" I asked the panting teen standing in front of me.

Hayner paused for a moment to catch his breath and stared at his watch. "Ten minutes. Not too bad." With the back of his hand, he wiped away the drips of sweat from his forehead and cradled the basketball he had been holding under one arm. "Better get dressed before Mrs. Lockhart finds out."

I suddenly panicked, nearly dropping my backpack on the ground. "Is she here!" My yell echoed off the high walls of the gymnasium and I only hoped that Mrs. Lockhart wasn't there to hear it.

"She went out to get her clipboard in her office. Go!" He pushed at my back which almost sent me flat on my face. Cursing to myself, I straightened and ran toward another pair of swinging doors on the other side of the gym which seemed such a far distance away considering the size of the area. I caught sight of Pence slumping forward near the bleachers and I eyed him awkwardly while I still ran.

"Just...re-resting..." he managed to respond through his weak panting.

At last, I reached the doors and pushed my way through, nearly tripping over myself as I stumbled clumsily inside the coolness of the dressing room. Inside, several rows of rusted orange lockers were stacked atop one another only inches from the ceiling while a single, no-back wooden bench rested in the center of the changing area. The floor was hard cement with long cracks randomly scattered along its surface.

Hastily, I tossed my backpack to the side once I picked a locker at random and began to unbutton my uniform while fumbling through my backpack at the same time. "Come on...you've got to be in here! Aha!" I exclaimed, pulling free a pair of black shorts and a white sports shirt from inside the newly created disarray in my backpack. By the time I had my shorts pulled on, a few indistinguishable voices rang in my head and I paused, slowly looking up from the knot I was beginning to tie. I couldn't make out much so I slowed my breathing, attempting to piece out words out of each distance sentence spoken.

"_You what? You're not..."_

"_Why not? He seems pretty trustworthy, doesn't he?"_

"_...come on! Obviously...hates you!"_

"_...a way to make him trust me."_

"_Yeah? How?"_

"_Think of it, he's got attitude..."_

"_Nuh-uh. No, way. Even if you ask, he won't agree to it."_

"_Quit being so negative! At least give him a few days."_

"_Still doesn't feel right..."_

The hushed voices trailed off so suddenly that I thought they had suspected someone was there. When they started up again, I blinked curiously and that curiosity suddenly over powered my mind. I found myself inching toward the direction of the voices, still keeping my breathing to a minimum level. I had reached the corner of one of the rows of lockers and cautiously peered at the dusty mirror nailed to the wall in front of me and gasped lightly. The reflection of both Axel and Demyx came in view through the dust and cracks and I found myself staring at both of them as they continued to engage in conversation.

There was Axel, both shirts off standing in nothing but his black pants that hugged comfortably to his legs while Demyx was already fully clothed in a yellow t-shirt and black shorts. They didn't seem to take notice...just a bit longer. My eyes remained stuck on the side view of Axel without me even realizing it. I could still see the bruise upon his right wrist and I remembered when I had bumped into him. He couldn't have been that badly hurt from that sort of fall? His skin was a light tan now that I could see it...wait, no!

I quickly averted my eyes and backed away from the corner, my mind and body literally jolting off the ground at the sight of Zexion standing above me.

"Z-Zexion...what're you doing here?" I asked weakly, my heart racing.

He eyed me blankly which sent chills down my spine and finally spoke emotionlessly, "I should be the one asking that question."

"O-Ok," I stuttered.

"What are you doing here?" He asked quietly.

"I was just changing for P.E. Aren't you going to?" I implied at the sight of him still in his school uniform.

He scoffed in amusement. "I must have twisted my ankle on my way to class..."

"Oh, I see."

"There's still thirty minutes left of class. Might as well get yourself ready." He took an eerie pause, staring in the direction of the mirror I had been glancing into, and chuckled, something I thought he would never do.

"You seem to fancy him."

I gaped at him and felt my face heat up. "What? Are you insane? I hate his guts!" I retorted, forgetting that I was supposed to be hidden.

"My apologies then," Zexion turned away and started for the door to the gym before saying, "I'm sure he feels the same way, right?"

"What? What'd you mean by that? Hey!" Before I could say anymore, Zexion had disappeared behind the doors and out of the room. "Ugh, forget it." Standing from the cold ground, I sighed in frustration and started for the door as well. Why was I suddenly questioning myself right now? _You seem to fancy him..._I didn't take a liking to guys, right? Right. Besides, even if I did, I was sure as hell that Axel wouldn't be my obsession. But why had I had looked into the mirror at him...? Why him?

P.E so far was the best class of the day so far. I always liked running because it released so many emotions, something I knew I needed right now. My thoughts from the past were temporarily shut down as I shot hoops with Hayner and laughed at Pence for being shot in the face by one of our classmates.

"Hey, Pence! Nice one that time!" I called, Hayner laughing uncontrollably beside me.

"Shut up, Roxas!" Pence snapped, rubbing his head from the floor where he currently was sitting dejectedly.

"Hey, careful over there, you two!" Mrs. Lockhart yelled from the sidelines, checking something off on her clipboard shortly after.

"Sorry, ma'am!" Hayner quickly stole my basketball away from my grasp and I growled, running after him to steal it back, our sneakers squeaking lightly against the wooden floor.

"And here he goes, Hayner going for the winning point..." He taunted, dribbling swiftly away from my hands toward the basket.

"Haha, NOT!" Quickly, I shot forward and stole the ball from him to which he cussed in a hushed tone. I laughed, continuing to dribble, and ran in the opposite direction to where many of our classmates were passing to each other. I wasn't looking forward while Hayner chased after me. When Hayner suddenly came to a squeaked halt, I assumed he was giving up and kept running.

"Roxas! Watch it!"

"Nice one, Hayner. But not working!" It wasn't until I felt a sharp pain at the side of my head that I knew I should have listened to his precaution. Feeling my body fall limp, I dropped the ball and began to fall backward until I collided with the floor. I released a pained yell and stared up at the ceiling through one eye while my other remained tightly closed due to the sensation of pain spreading across my head.

"Roxas! Oh, my gosh, Roxas!" Mrs. Lockhart's voice called from what felt like a million miles away. The sound of her once soft voice was beginning to pound at the right side of my head that I could barely concentrate anymore.

"Roxas, you ok!" Hayner's voice hurt even worse since he was closer to me. I could barely make out the blurred outlines of my classmates huddling around me as I lay helplessly on the floor.

"Roxas, Roxas, are you ok? Answer me, honey, come on."

"Ah," I said painfully, managing to see Mrs. Lockhart, or at least her outline, directly above.

"Who threw that ball?" She called out to the class, darting her head up to stare around at the growing group of people. "Never mind it, someone go get an ice pack from the gym office! Go!"

"_R-Right! I'll get it!"_ I recognized the frightened voice as Demyx and groaned. I squinted and shut my eyes for a moment while several people suddenly whispered that I had gone unconscious.

I felt Mrs. Lockhart gently sit me up and carefully escort me to the benches, constantly asking if I was alright and if I could count how many fingers she was holding up. When she was finally satisfied after what felt like her fifteenth question, I sighed while she gently patted the cold ice bag against the right side of my forehead. It stung like hell and I clenched my fist to release some of the pain elsewhere.

"Just hold onto it, yeah, that's right. Just sit tight ok?" She cooed and stood, assembling the class together around me in a large circle. I felt strangely uncomfortable with so many people staring at me. I was able to catch Zexion in the corner of my eye; leaning against the locker room door with his arms crossed while glaring at someone in the class that I currently couldn't make out.

"I want the truth now," Mrs. Lockhart demanded, sounding slightly ticked, "Who threw that basketball?"

When no one replied she asked again, this time mentioning that she would inform everyone's parents if no one admitted to injuring 'poor Roxas'. This time, someone spoke up from behind the crowd, the person I recognized as the one Zexion had been keeping a close eye on.

"I did, Mrs. Lockhart," they stated, signaling for her attention with a careless wave.

"Alright, that's all I need. The rest of you, off to next period."

The sound of several voices began whispering amongst themselves while an occasional few turned heads toward the suspect. I caught sight of Hayner and Pence staying behind, worriedly watching me sit upon the bench. I felt my head throb and the right side of my face become numbed by the sharp cold. How could this day get any worse?

"And your name was what again?" Mrs. Lockhart asked sternly.

Once the crowd of students passed, my vision was cleared and I stared directly at _him_ again. Truthfully, if Mrs. Lockhart was gone, I would have delivered once right in his stomach.

"Axel," he replied calmly, glancing over at me once as if pretending to check if I was ok. P.E class: my new hated subject.

* * *

**Phew! At last things are up and running again. ;) Again, sorry for the wait. See, my hard drive died on me and my dad worked for hours and hours just to recover the files before I had to type things up again. I tip my hat off to him for saving my stories! Well, this story is expected to be updated at least every other day and on the days it isn't updated, my other AkuRoku story will be updated. I hope to recieve at least 10 and I would like to thank those who took the time for the past chapters. Thankies!**

**_kokoro77_**


	5. Chapter Five: Part III The Demonstration

Chapter Five: Part III-The Demonstration

The whole time Mrs. Lockhart lectured Axel, I did nothing but glare up at his face. Though he seemed sorry for what he did, I knew he wasn't the type to really feel that way. Did he even have feelings? He just seemed like a reckless teen that hated school, loved to pick fights, and possibly vandalized school property. In his head, I knew he was laughing at my misfortune on the first day. I bit my bottom lip and threw the ice pack to the side, allowing the pain and coldness to subside over time.

"Just know that if you had done that on purpose it would have been straight to the principal's office."

"Yes, ma'am," I heard Axel reply sweetly and I gagged.

"_Suck up,"_ I whispered cruelly and watched as they both began walking toward me.

"Feeling better, honey?" Mrs. Lockhart said, patting me gently on the shoulder. I slumped forward and nodded.

"Yeah."

"Be sure to thank Demyx for getting that ice pack for you, okay?" She quickly glanced over her shoulder at Axel who had been eying me and she checked her watch. "I'll sign a note for both of you so you won't be late for next class..."

"Wait a sec, Mrs. Lockhart," Axel interrupted, "don't you think Roxas'll need to be in the medical room? Y'know, just in case."

I immediately gaped at him and turned to Mrs. Lockhart, only hoping she would say 'no'. _"Don't!"_

"You're probably right. Ok, I'll just..." To my relief, to took hold of my wrist and began to stand me up. That one moment of relief disappeared when Axel placed his hand over Mrs. Lockhart's.

"Y'know, you've got other classes to teach, right? I could take Roxas over. I mean, we're both headed in the same direction anyway."

I turned to our teacher again and wanted to shake my head but I figured she would think I was crazy if I did. Instead, I solemnly watched her smile and release my hand, allowing Axel's to fall atop it. I felt him hold a firm grip on me and I tightened my one free hand into a fist.

"Yes, I do have other classes to attend to...alright. You take Roxas there and promise me you'll stay with him until the nurses assure he's ok. Just have the nurses write you two a note for your next teacher," She said.

When Axel nodded his head she walked ahead of us to the other side of the basketball court and out of sight through the swinging doors, leaving both of us alone in the spacious gymnasium. Quickly, I pulled away from Axel's hand and took a step back, my hands still clenched.

"What is your problem!" I asked hotly. My voice was echoing off the walls now.

Axel could only laugh and he crossed his arms over his chest. "What? It's not wrong to walk you to the med room, is it? Come on, Roxas. I whacked you with a ball and you won't even accept an apology?"

I shook my head in disbelief. "Apology? What apology? You're making this day even worse that it already was to begin with!"

"Alright, then," Axel stared directly at me and added, "I'm sorry," rather seriously.

"Whatever." Feeling suddenly tired, I loosened up my hands and turned away from him toward the locker rooms. Sure, he apologized, and strangely properly, but he was still ticking me off more than ever. He had even offered to escort me to the medical room. What was next? A hug? An apologetic letter stuffed through the edge of my locker? I scoffed and entered the sweaty locker room with Axel following me from behind. While we changed in separate areas, this time, I kept my eyes away but my head still imagined on its own.

"_What is with this guy?"_ And I continued to question myself.

* * *

"Got your schedule memorized yet?"

I raised an eyebrow toward Axel's question, still keeping my eyes ahead in the empty hallway, and remained quiet.

"Guess not," He shrugged from what I could see out of the corner of my eye and I sighed heavily.

"Look," I began in an annoyed tone, "it's only the first day of school. You can't expect everything to come to mind at the blink of an eye."

"Oh, really?"

"Yes, really," I snapped.

"Well, looks like we'll be needing a note for who ever our Math teacher is."

I froze and blinked, watching Axel walk ahead of me with his hands hidden in his pockets. He laughed, which echoed off the walls, and walked on. "Come on, Roxas! Do we need to hold hands or what?"

"Smart ass..." I groaned and followed him, keeping a few feet distance from his body. He was planning something. I had the sharpest feeling that he was going to do something any minute. I envisioned his group of friends already huddled outside the medical room door just waiting for me to show up. Maybe they would jump me and steal my lunch money. Actually, that seemed more like something Seifer would do. I thought Axel was like Seifer but, as this school day was progressing, I was starting to realize that Axel was completely different. He was 'cool' so the speak and was pretty convincing while Seifer was flat out demanding and rough. Seifer was a bully and Axel was more of a neglected bad boy that not many of our classmates seemed intimidated by. Why was I thinking of him again?

"Well, this is it."

I looked up from the floor and brought my attention to the one windowed door standing before the two of us. Above the doorframe was the room number followed by 'Med' written underneath. I nervously patted the right side of my head then turned the handle to allow myself in. Axel followed shortly and shut the door tightly behind.

"So, which one of you got into trouble already?"

I turned to the owner of the voice who was an average built young woman with dark brown hair stylized with a large red ribbon that held the braid together at the back of her head. She was wearing a white lab coat that came down to her waist that barely covered her long, pink hippie skirt underneath. She lowered her thin lenses and eyed both of us through her two aquamarine eyes.

"Uhm, I..."

"That would be him," Axel butted in, pointing a finger at my head.

I glared up at him but ignored it, nodding to the woman to assure it was me. "Mrs. Lockhart said I should come here."

"Wait a sec...Mrs. Strife?" Axel said suddenly, narrowing his eyes at the woman.

She nodded her head once and beamed up at him.

"You know her?" I asked, stupefied.

Axel said nothing and continued to stare uncomfortably at the nurse.

"Oh, yes. I look out for him outside of school in the doctor's office near his house. Thing's going ok, Axel?" She asked gently.

He paused and nodded once. I turned slightly and caught sight of him attempting to pull his right sleeve further down. I figured it was a way to conceal his bruise but I ignored it, turning back toward the nurse.

"What class are you two coming from?" She asked sweetly, grabbing for a post-it note and a ballpoint pen atop her white desk.

"P.E," I replied.

"And what happened to you?"

"I accidentally threw a basketball at his head during class."

"_Pft, yeah, right. **Accidental**_." I rolled my eyes and allowed her to inspect my head.

"Nothing but a light bruise. You should be fine." She darted back to her desk, scribbled down something on two post-its, and handed one to each of us.

"At Medical Room-coming from P.E-Nothing drastic" I read on the paper and slipped held onto it tightly. _Light_ bruising? Being forced to the gym floor by a basketball sure didn't feel light to me.

After she waved to both of us, we slipped out of the room after what only felt like a minute. "Oh, stop by my place after school, ok?" She said quietly to Axel who exited ahead of me. I pretended I didn't hear anything and walked on, shutting the door behind me.

"Feeling better, Roxas?" Axel asked with a laugh, starting back up the hallway with one hand holding onto the single strap of his black messenger bag. He sounded as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

"She didn't seem like she even checked..." I replied, following behind him. After all, he seemed to know where he was going and I didn't.

"Yeah, well, it's how doctors are sometimes."

I sighed and scratched my head. I felt a small bump that had formed where the ball had hit and I groaned.

"Stop touching it, it'll just hurt even more," Axel called over his shoulder.

I cocked my head and lowered my hand. He couldn't be worried about me...right? Like I said, he didn't seem like the type who would have feelings. I treated him like an enemy yet he seemed to act as if I was part of his posse. I shook my head. That's when the sight of the dark bruise that I had seen on Axel's hand came into mind again. I still wanted to ask him about a few things but I didn't think he would bother to answer. As we entered the next classroom, I not only questioned about him but I was questioning myself. He's not my obsession...right?

* * *

Math class was definitely one of my worse subjects. Our teacher's name was Saix and already he freaked my out. He already assigned us a two page homework assignment out of our new math books and whenever he spoke, he always sounded like he was going to take over the world. This time, Hayner and Pence sat beside me in the front row so I felt a little less shaken than when I was a bit more secluded in first period. Axel, as usual, was seated beside his buddies. All but Zexion, who was obediently reading the book, were ignoring the subject. I couldn't help but think about what Zexion had said earlier...

"You feeling better?" Hayner asked the second the three of us had exited the room.

"Yeah, you gave us a scare back in the gym...can you believe that punk?" Pence fumed, walking backwards so he could face the two of us as we walked on.

"Hmm? Oh, you mean Axel," I said.

"Yeah! That's him! Did he even apologize to you?" Pence asked.

"Well, yeah, he did..." I wanted to mention the whole event involving the medical room but figured I shouldn't and kept it bottled inside. I didn't want them making an enemy out of Axel. But why? I constantly told myself that I hated him so why didn't I want others to share that same feeling toward him?

"Still, he's a fink," Hayner said, bending down to open his locker.

I still remembered that I hadn't gotten a combination from Mrs. Lockhart and sighed, lowering my head gloomily while Pence threw his backpack into his locker and Hayner struggled to open his.

"Oh, move over, lemme do it." Pushing Hayner to the side, I turned the dial and had it open on the first try. Hayner laughed nonchalantly and tossed his things inside. I threw my own things in with his and soon we were all headed to the cafeteria in yet another flood of people.

"Think we'll see Sora?" I asked hopefully.

Hayner shook his head. "They've got different lunch schedule than we do."

The cafeteria was just a few doors away from the med room but I tried to ignore it. I was relieved to know that I wouldn't be having a run in with Seifer. I wouldn't want to have him screwing my day up like Axel was already.

All three of us had gotten ramen through the lunch line and already sat ourselves on an unoccupied metal table in the fairly large room.

"Maybe it's a bad idea to eat now..." Pence started, hesitating to pick up his fork.

Both Hayner and I exchanged looks of surprise. Pence? Refusing to eat something? And it was ramen!

"What're you talking about?" I asked hastily, peering at him through the light wisps of steam coming from my bowl.

"Didn't you read over your schedule? We've got Sex Ed after this!"

Hayner groaned and capped his water bottle after he had swallowed hard. I simply sighed and toyed around with my plastic fork. "It might not be _that_ bad."

"Sure. I bet Sora told you that," Hayner scoffed, pushing his tray away.

"Yeah, he did. He said it's kinda weird at first, being in an all guy school, but after the first class he says it goes pretty smooth." I stared at both of them as they remained quiet, staring longingly at each other's ramen. There was no way they'd believe me.

"It's only a forty minute period," I added.

"I guess so..." Pence mumbled, reaching for his fork finally.

Hayner followed after and finally I got the two to eat. I almost did the same before a dangerously familiar voice called over my shoulder and I groaned loudly.

"Yo, Roxas! Have you seen Marluxia anywhere?"

I watched both Hayner and Pence look up from their food and stare at something behind my back blankly. "No, Axel..." I responded, trying to act calm.

"You sure? Oh, hey, these your little friends?"

Still keeping my back turned, I nodded.

"Hayner," Hayner said flatly.

"I'm Pence," Pence said after.

There was a pause and, by the looks of Hayner's and Pence's faces, nothing major was really happening so I began breathing normally again.

"Well, catch you around." Without another word, Axel left, walking around our table with Demyx and Zexion behind him. I at least expected him to say something more. He didn't look like the kind of teen that would leave a conversation without speaking out what was on his mind. Judging by the tone of his voice in his last sentence, I thought he sounded pretty ticked off at something so suddenly.

"He sure scares the crap out of me..." Pence began after a short while of silence.

Hayner stared at me and raised an eyebrow. "Roxas? Roxas, you ok?"

I jolted forward, returning to reality, and straightened up. "Y-Yeah. I'm ok. Just thinking..." _"About...him."_

* * *

So there we were...sitting anxiously for Mrs. Lockhart to show behind the classroom door, books, papers, anything relating to the subject in hand. Any minute now the clock would turn to 1:35 and she would be smiling awkwardly up at us. I wondered what the test tubes were for...maybe I really didn't want to know. A few of my classmates were exchanging regular conversation while a majority of them were either doodling absently on a scrap piece of paper or were keeping thoughts and words to themselves. I was among the majority that were keeping quiet while Pence and Hayner talked casually behind me.

I had the subject book resting at the upper corner of my desk and had the new pencil I had gotten rested beside it. By the time I faced the door, the class was silenced when Mrs. Lockhart came through it with just as we suspected to be in her hands: unknown books, papers, and other supplies. She walked behind her desk and wiped her forehead with the back of her long sleeve.

"Sorry I'm a bit late! I was just getting papers ready for the demonstration today," She said, grabbing the stack of stapled papers she had.

"Demonstration...?" I over heard Pence ask behind me in a whisper.

"Right, each of you will need one of these packets. Now when you get one, write your name at the top and turn to page one. We'll be using this for the remainder of trimester one, alright?" She handed the first of the packets to someone in the first row then to Demyx who accepted it nervously, his hands shaking.

I stared down at my packet. The front page was blank while I knew the inside pages were anything but. I scribbled my name neatly at the bottom corner and, taking a deep breath, turned the page. It was mostly text, to my relief, with nothing but a single picture of an adult couple smiling at the readers.

"_So far so good..."_ I thought, drawing a mustache on the male in the picture with my pencil.

"So, first things first. You guys are heading into that stage in life where you absolutely are curious about sex, right?" Mrs. Lockhart began, staring around the room at the confused faces of us all. She giggled and placed her eyeglasses on.

"Well, like it or hate it, you guys have to learn this subject. So, let's start with...hmm..." Slowly, she picked up her clipboard and eyed whatever was written on it with interest. "Well, let's just take who ever is first on the list: Axel."

I blinked in confusion and turned to my left to where Axel was seated. He stared around the room to which a few people laughed to themselves. I couldn't help but join them but that quickly ceased when she called out: 'Roxas'.

This time, Pence and Hayner stifled laughs behind me and I glared over my shoulder at them.

"What for?" I inquired.

"Seeing as you're the last one on the attendance list and Axel, you're the first, you two will make great partners." She smiled and my jaw dropped.

"But, I thought Zexion..."

"Zexion's using this time to study for a bit longer by request of his parents," Mrs. Lockhart interrupted, signaling for the two of us to stand with a single raised finger.

I turned to Axel who turned to me with disbelief in his eyes. Not knowing what was about to happen, we both stood tentatively and moved to the front of the room after Mrs. Lockhart told us to.

"What's this about?" He whispered to me once we met at the front.

"How would I know?" I replied.

"So, seeing as this is an all boy's school, we teachers pieced together a visual way for you all to learn the subject a bit easier without girls in the room. Now, Roxas you go here..." She pushed my body until I faced Axel and she turned to do the same to him. At the corner of my eye I caught sight of Hayner biting his finger to refrain from laughing while Demyx and Marluxia were already turning bright red from laughing to themselves.

"Ok, so, picture that Roxas and Axel just met at the club across the street. Go on, meet each other. We'll role play."

Steadily, Axel reached his hand forward and I did the same. When we grabbed hands to shake, I felt sweat slip down my chin and I swallowed hard. For the first time, Axel seemed dumbstruck.

"Good, good. But, Roxas is a girl in this, alright?"

"What!" I exclaimed amongst the sudden sound of stifling laughter which Mrs. Lockhart ignored.

"Yes, Roxas. You'll be the girl here. Now, what do you expect to happen if two young people meet in this type of environment? Yes?"

"Wouldn't they, you know, try to strike a conversation?" Someone answered.

"That's one thing. Go on, talk!" She said playfully to us.

"Uh...hi?" I said my voice cracking.

"Hi?" Axel responded slowly.

"Anything else?"

"They hug!" Hayner exclaimed and several people, even Mrs. Lockhart, laughed.

"Ok, ok, we'll go with that."

We both froze, cold as ice. Axel stared down at me and I could tell he was asking me through eye contact about who would make the first move. I mouthed: 'I don't know!' and kept still, panicking.

Suddenly I felt a strong shove at my back and I fell forward against Axel's chest. I let out a faint yell when he loosely wrapped his arms around me.

"_Think we can make a run for it?"_ I heard him whisper to me.

I looked up at him but whenever I opened my mouth to speak, the words became lost.

"Alright, so, if we fast forward to the days these two are married, we can expect what human's would normally do to occur, correct?"

"Married!" Axel blurted out, facing Mrs. Lockhart in one swift movement.

"Now, class, there are things you should know about the human nature that could affect you in the future so pay attention to this bit here. If you read the first paragraph of the page in the packet I gave you, it already mentions information about 'safe sex'. Now, the couple in that picture..."

"_Why are we still hugging?" _I whispered, thinking that if I let go of Axel that Mrs. Lockhart would yell at me.

"_I don't know! Uhm..."_

"Basically, if a couple would like to have sex but they aren't ready for children, safe sex with condoms is always recommended. Here, you two sit on the desk here..."

I instantly released Axel's waist and, blushing immensely, I dragged my feet over to the desk and sat atop it beside Axel as our teacher told us to.

"Assume that's the case with these two after they sit to chat about the situation."

I bit the inside of my cheek and lowered my head, shading my face away from the class with my bangs. I noticed Axel doing the same. I was barely paying any attention to the lesson, letting all the embarrassment obscure my mind. I didn't think this was the only way to teach Sex Ed. She could have read from a book, shown the class a movie. Something! Anything but this! Now I was partnered up, role playing as a married girl with the number one person I hated at school! I should have listened to Pence and Hayner at lunch. I could already feel my food giving a sudden turn with my stomach.

"Alright, you two. You guys make great actors, you know? You can sit down now," Mrs. Lockhart said cheerfully.

By now, the laughter had nearly gone although, as I nervously inched back to my desk, I could still hear exchanging of words amongst my classmates. With a groan, I slumped into my seat and pretended to take attention to the notes Mrs. Lockhart began writing neatly on the blackboard.

"_I think you two make a great twosome,"_ Hayner whispered devilishly behind my shoulder.

I shrugged him off and shifted uneasily in my chair. I noticed Axel in the same position and guessed he was probably thinking the same. He must have been taking all sorts of comments from Demyx and Marluxia since he looked like he was about to scream his head off. I had a lot to tell Sora at the end of today; that was for sure. I'd tell him everything except the parts including Axel. I'd save that for...never. I wouldn't want to see the look on Sora's face if I mentioned that I truthfully wanted to know more about my enemy...

* * *

**Phew! I spent a while on this one...well, 10 reviews at least please! please? -puppy dog eyes- Whheee! I'm just having fun writing right now. ) Well, on to the next chapter! -runs off laughing maniacally- P  
****_  
much hearts,  
kokoro77_**


	6. Chapter Six: Maybe I'll Consider it Now

Chapter Six: "Maybe I'll consider it now."

"I didn't think I would make it through today..."

"Oh, come on, Roxas. It couldn't have been _that_ bad."

"Yeah, well, _you_ weren't there to go through the mess! _I _had to put up without a locker, getting smacked in the face with a basketball..."

Mom suddenly gasped as she began to sit herself at the dinner table that night. "What? You were hit with a basketball? Where?" She asked nervously, examining me for any cuts or bruises.

"_Oops..."_ I thought and cleared my throat, putting my fork down. "Uh...just on the head. B-But it wasn't _that_ hard, mom!"

"Who did that to you?" Sora asked from the other end of the table.

I looked up at him and opened my mouth halfway to speak but I quickly caught myself. "Uhm...I don't know."

"Didn't the teacher catch him?" Asked mom, quickly standing from her chair and walking over to me. She gently laid a hand atop my head and began running her fingers through my blonde hair.

"Mom, I'm fine! It's ok." I caught her hand and carefully pushed it away from my head.

"Did you go see the nurse?"

I sighed and fiddled around with the grains of rice on my plate with my fork. "Yes. She said I was fine."

From across the table, I saw Sora eying me awkwardly from behind his water glass. He winked his left eye once and I hesitated. Back when we were younger, Sora was seven and I was six, we came up with a body language code to use when we were at school or when we were placed in the corner by mom. Riku was the one that told us we should make one up. He always told us he did that with his classmates and not once did any of them get caught. We literally spent hours writing down and memorizing different signs before we were satisfied with the results. Back then, we hid the code sheet from mom but, now, both of us forgot where we hid it. For all we knew, mom could have found it by now and kept it neatly hidden in her own bedroom for future use.

I watched Sora wink back at me as mom ranted on about being more careful at school and I winked back with my right eye. 'I need to talk to you'

I found Sora lounging outside the front door after I had finished washing the dishes. Mom always spent a full hour in the living room after dinner sitting on the couch and watching either the nightly news or her soap operas. Mostly, it was the soap operas. I passed her hugging a pillow as she watched in shock toward the screen and opened the front door.

"Can't believe you still remember that stupid code," I laughed and sat on the top brick step of our front stairs while Sora sat lazily with one leg up on the wide cement handrail.

He chuckled and glanced down at me. "You can't forget those kinds of things, you know? It's part of our past."

"Oh, now you're really being mature."

"Well, someone in this family's gotta be. I'm sure that's what dad would've wanted."

The smile on my face faded at the mentioning of dad and I looked away from Sora to the stairs. The sun was just beginning to set over Twilight Town, blending shades of orange and purple in the autumn sky. Any day now we would all start to feel that autumn season weather kick in. The town was usually fairly warm in the fall but, towards the end of it, there would be heavy downpours.

"We're not talking about dad, are we?" I asked, still staring sullenly at the stairs.

"No. Just wanted to get your attention," Sora paused to laugh and started up again, "See, I had the strangest feeling that you were lying to mom about that basketball incident at school."

I shot my head up and turned to face him. "You can't expect me to tell her the truth about that, can you?"

Sora raised an eyebrow and I groaned, feeling defeated. I hated that I always fell for his tricks. I eventually gave in and let it slide. "Ok, I _do_ know who hit me and Mrs. Lockhart found out."

"So? Who was it?" Sora asked, letting both of his legs dangle over the handrail as he turned his whole body to face me.

"Take a guess..." I mumbled and gave him a moment to think.

"Hmm, Hayner."

"No!" I blurted.

"Ok, how 'bout Pence?"

"Not even close..."

"You made the story up then!"

"Ugh! No! It was that idiot, Axel!" I suddenly stood from where I sat and rubbed my forehead angrily at the very mentioning of that name. "I was playing a game of keep away from Hayner and Pence when someone threw a basketball at my head. Mrs. Lockhart sat me on the bleachers and Axel spoke up saying that he was the one who did it! For all I know, he probably planned that whole thing just for his own amusement!"

Sora snickered and slapped his leg. "Seriously? Oh, man! Bet he got in big trouble for that!"

"That's the thing! He didn't! I swear, he did that on purpose but his cutesy act to the teacher gave him the slip!"

"Wow, sounds like something he'd do."

"Then, you'll never believe this, he offered to take me to the medical room 'cause he was 'worried about me'." I added quotations with my fingers.

"Wow." Sora said, crossing his arms behind his head after leaning against the wall.

"That's all you can say? 'Wow'?"

"Well, no. I can also say that he's probably trying to catch your attention."

"What? Are you insane?" I asked, dumbstruck toward Sora's words.

"No, really! It's happened before! I've seen it happen with girls that have crushes on a certain guy or guys have crushes on a certain girl..." He paused and turned to my pink face. "Oops, that probably wasn't the right diagram to explain, huh?"

"No, it wasn't." I said honestly.

He laughed again and shook his head. "Sorry. But, if you think about it, it's sort of like that scenario except with him probably just wanting to be friends with you. Maybe it's just his way of apologizing."

Weakly, I slumped back down on the top stair and stared up at the darkening sky. "No. He already apologized for throwing the ball at me. It was sort of freaky, actually. He doesn't look like the kind of guy that would..."

"You're judging him, Roxas..." Sora intervened.

I ignored him and kept my eyes preoccupied on the darkening orange above my head. Actually, what Sora had said was true. Although we had had an argument in the store, he seemed to be trying to make it up to me through ways I thought were annoying when they really weren't all that bad. I thought about when I had shrugged him off from ruffling up my hair and the time when I roughly pulled away from his hold on me in the gym. Now that I was thinking about it, it didn't seem fair.

"Sora...?" I asked quietly after some time of silence.

"Hmm?"

"I...wanted to ask you something...a-about this girl I saw."

"Oh, a girl huh? Go on, I'm listening," Sora replied in a perverted sort of voice.

I scoffed. "It's not like that ok? It's just that...ok, I saw her after school today leaving from the Sunset Hill High School trolley."

"Uh-huh...that's Olette's school, right?"

"Right. See, she's sort of the bad-ish kind of girl. I mean, she's not a bully but she's stubborn."

"Ok..."

"So, I thought about her for a bit and wondered if, maybe, I want to know more about her..."

"So, you're wondering if you've got a crush on this girl, right?" Sora asked.

I hesitated to speak and felt a drip of sweat slide off my cheek to the brick below. "Sora, how do you know if you've got a crush? I mean, I barely know hi—er—her. But she's just..."

"She's just sort of an enigma, right?"

"Right."

He paused and began whispering 'uhms' and 'ahs' to himself before responding, "Did you ever talk to her?"

"Not about the situation but I've talked to her about other things."

"You know, Roxas, when you've got a crush, you definitely feel it. It's like, maybe you hate them at first for messing up your mind but you later realize that you're concealing what you really feel about them. Sometimes that's the case. Other times, you might just feel like you have to ignore them and maybe they'll leave when in reality they really don't...does that make sense?"

"No." I laughed and rubbed my head where the bump from the basketball had formed.

"Uh, let's just say that love sucks at first. One of these days you'll be able to approach her and let her know what's on your mind."

"_Roxas! Sora! Up to bed!"_ I turned to mom's slightly shaken voice from inside the house and we both laughed to ourselves.

"Another one of those drama moments, eh?" Sora whispered, jumping down from the railing and walking toward the door.

I rolled my eyes and followed him inside. As darkness engulfed Twilight Town, I thought about what Sora had said about that girl...to tell you the truth, I lied. There was no girl, no talking, and no eying her coming off the trolley. It hurt me to lie to him but, what would he say if I mentioned who I was trying to conceal? I feared for tomorrow as much as I had the night before...but, at the same time, I was also anxious. I felt so different all of the sudden.

That morning, I finally woke up at the right time and was able to eat calmly with Sora...at least partially calmly because of mom's lecturing of leaving the toilet seat up. Hayner lived only a block away from our house so we saw him walking down the same way we were headed to school. Pence lived on the same street but he probably woke up late so we walked on without him.

"Did you get any of the math homework last night? Hayner asked sleepily, scratching his head.

I yawned and nodded slightly. "Sort of. Man, can you believe our teacher?"

"Who's your guys' teacher?" Sora asked from behind us.

"Some guy...he just goes by Saix." Hayner called over his shoulder.

"Ohh, him? We've got Mr. Leonhart. He's sort of an enigma but after a while, he gets pretty cool."

I groaned. "Lucky...why is it that _you_ get all the cool teachers and go through your first day without any mess-ups?"

Sora just laughed and said nothing.

I turned back to Hayner who looked like he was about to collapse and I nudged his shoulder to get him to stay focused. When he jolted back he rubbed his eyes lazily and nudged me so hard that I bumped into Olette.

"Ah! Roxas! Watch where you're going!"

I blinked and stopped where I was on the street. Hayner and Sora did the same and turned toward the short brunette who was carrying a thick newspaper in her arms. She had her hair pulled back in a white headband and she was wearing the usual blue and white plaid skirt with white polo for school.

"Olette! Haven't seen you ever since you left for vacation!" Hayner yelled out, his tiredness suddenly disappearing from his voice.

She nodded and confidently lifted up the newspaper she had been holding, covering her face completely so we could view the entire front cover. "I've been caught up in writing for the town newspaper! See, my mom has a friend that works for the paper and she found a way for me to write up my first article! They called me back and, eventually, I was reporting for the town's top stories!"

"Yeah, we read your article about the gang who tried to burn down the mansion," I said, staring crossed eyed at the black and white print being held closely to my face.

"Uh-huh! Pretty good, huh? I've been writing about any single piece of dirt I can find about those guys but each time their identities are kept unknown," She flipped to the next page and held it up to our faces again. "See? _'Pipe found in back parking lot of Twilight Town High yesterday afternoon'_."

"Huh?" I blurted out, snatching the paper from her hands immediately.

"Our school? Who in their right mind would have the guts to do drugs on campus?" Sora grabbed the other side of the paper while Hayner held up the other end.

"No, who in their right mind would have the guts to do drugs; period." Hayner replied.

Olette nodded and shook her finger around in the air. "See? It's stories like this that keep people wondering about what's next. My theory is that it's one of those gang members while others think it was probably an adult. Nope, I stand by what I think."

"Can't they find out who it was through lab research?" Sora asked.

"That's what they're doing right now. DNA research takes up to a week with the speed of the technology here. They're even thinking of sending it to the high tech labs over in Hallow Bastion just to make the test results come faster."

"_Olette! Come on! We'll be late for class!"_

Olette abruptly turned to face the owner of the voice, another short brunette like herself, and waved back. "Right! Coming!" She turned to face us and snatched the paper away to which we all groaned.

"Sorry guys! This is scheduled to be released tomorrow! You'll just have to wait! See ya!" Without another word, she bounded away toward her friend with the paper cradled under her arm.

"We'd better go too, guys," Hayner said disappointedly and walked on.

As we all walked together down the sun drenched streets, I still kept the thought of the article tattooed on my mind. I created a list of suspects but figured it was bad thing to do. Sora did say judging people was bad thing...and I knew that. I knew better. I hated the fact that I was denying so many things and fighting against my own mind right now. It must have been something in the food I ate yesterday.

"See? Basketball tryouts are this Friday, Roxas. You should sign up," Hayner said playfully, laying his hand atop my shoulder while we both stared at the bright orange sheet pinned to the cork board in the hallway.

I shrugged him off and continued to read the paper. "Very funny, Hayner. Hoping to get a picture of me getting smacked down with a basketball again for the yearbook?"

He stared up at the ceiling and scratched his head. "That's not a bad idea..." He implied and I began pacing away. I could already picture him holding up a camera during one of my games just so he could capture the moment for all to see.

"No, really! Think about how fun it'll be! You'll be able to participate in tournaments and even get a chance to piece together the dances!"

"Dances?" I asked slowly, turning to him as he pulled up beside me.

"Sure! They put together a committee from people on the sports teams so they can plan out the dances for the school."

"Oh, that just makes me want to join even more..." I hissed.

"You're just being shy. Girls love a guy that's on that committee!"

"But I don't want to have girls swarming all over me!"

Hayner patted my shoulder and held the Science door open for me. To our greatest luck, it happened to be the same exact room as where Sex Ed was taught. Only this time, Mrs. Lockhart wasn't our teacher which meant no more demonstrations. I let out a sigh of relief once we entered the room that was buzzing with conversation. I was able to catch people talking about the rumors of the drug pipe found in the parking lot and the suspected people on their lists.

"_I bet you it's one of the teachers..."_

"_...it's gotta be him!"_

"_No it wouldn't..."_

"_He always looks like he..."_

I slipped behind an empty desk and Hayner took one to my left. The second he sat, he turned to me and started up on the topic about yesterday's demonstration.

"You know, you were right about that lesson, Roxas. It was pretty fun!"

"Oh, shut up!" I retorted, throwing a crumpled piece of paper at his face.

"Can't wait till today's lesson."

I growled at him and crumpled up another paper before there was a sudden sound of the doorknob being turned. My eyes widened and I tossed the paper under my desk to avoid suspicion from the teacher. Several scattered voices came to a frozen halt in time and we all turned obediently to the front as Mrs. Strife entered the room.

"Morning, class. I was just fixing things up back in the med room," She said calmly and shut the door behind her.

"My name is Aeirth Strife and I will be your..."

I cancelled out her voice for a moment as my curious sapphire eyes followed Axel who had entered the room behind Mrs. Lockhart. He had his head lowered and, as usual, his right sleeve tightly pulled over his wrist. I found his behavior strange when his three friends attempted to catch his attention but he ignored the seat they had saved for him and moved to the far back seat instead. With his head still lowered, he slipped behind the desk and stared absently at the ground as if wrapped in thought. Demyx stared back at him questionably but turned back to the front of the room to avoid being caught off track.

Something was definitely wrong and I admit: I was worried.

"Don't you realize that they never eat anything at lunch time?" Pence began, sitting beside Hayner on the same bench we had sat in yesterday.

I glanced over my shoulder at the group of four: Demyx, Marluxia, Zexion, and Axel, huddled around a corner of the cafeteria engaged in secret conversation. I turned away and popped open a bag of chips I took from the line.

"That probably explains why they're so skinny," I whispered before biting into a potato chip.

Hayner laughed, nearly spitting out his water, and threw a napkin at me. "You're so...rude!" He gagged and wiped his mouth with the back of his sleeve.

"Well, it's true!"

"Actually, I think it's only Axel that's freakishly thin. Look at him compared to the other guys!" I watched Pence dart his eyes behind me quickly and I turned. I, myself had already figured that out when I met them yesterday in the dead end. After what felt like long minutes, I turned forward back to the two and bit another chip.

"Wonder why he showed up following Mrs. Strife this morning? Think he got hurt?" Pence placed his burger down on his plate before whispering to the both of us.

While Hayner began talking to him about it, I kept out, thinking about it to myself. I thought of his injury again but thought that I was probably the one who caused it. Then I thought of what she had told him yesterday about her wanting him to see her after school. Maybe they had an appointment at the doctor's office? Right. That was probably it. I had to stop worrying so much. He could take care of himself. He was old enough to know how to put a bandage on and anything else like it. But still...

"Uhm, Roxas...?"

"What?" I asked, turning to face Hayner who was pointing at my soda. I stared at the can I had just opened and nearly jumped when the liquid began drenching my hand. Abruptly, I stood and attempted to cover up the mess with the napkin Hayner had thrown at me before.

"You guys could have told me earlier!" I exclaimed, placing the can on my tray.

"Go to the bathroom to wash it off. We'll take care of this." Pence grabbed for the pile of napkins in the center of the table and slammed them against the puddle of cola that was close to flowing off the edge. I nodded, shook my hand slightly, and walked off toward the exit, passing Axel's posse who were all staring at me uncomfortably.

Things just weren't going the way I wanted them to go. True, I didn't know what to expect out of High School but things could have been better than this! Cursing to myself, I stomped down the empty halls toward the bathroom which was conveniently located beside the Medical Room not too far away. I pushed open the swinging door and hastily went to the faucets to rinse off.

"Why can't I just die already?" I groaned, squeezing a large amount of cherry smelling soap into my hand.

"I hate this school, I hate what's been happening, I can't take this anymore!"

"I just wanna disappear..."

"_I'm sure that's not really what you think, right, Roxas?"_

I felt my heart give off a sharp pain and my eyes shot into the mirror at the reflection of who was standing in the doorway. MY panting began to die down when my fear was replaced with that same anger I had been feeling only a second ago.

"What do you want, Axel?" I asked harshly, turning toward the sink as a way to refrain from looking at him although I could still see his reflection from the corner of my eye.

He laughed and leaned against the wall beside the door with his arms crossed. "Just checking on you."

"Well, I'm fine, thanks."

"By the looks of that soda explosion, I'd say otherwise," He replied swiftly.

"It's just a bit of soda," I switched the faucet off and showed him my soaked hand. "See? Not like I'm gonna die over spilled soda!"

He chuckled to himself and began glaring at me through his mesmerizing teal eyes. "That's why I never eat stuff from the cafeteria here."

"Do you even eat at all?" I replied, ripping off a piece of paper towel to dry my hands off before tossing it in the garbage.

"Oh! You've got attitude! I'm impressed," He pushed off from the wall and winked once at me.

I shook my head in disbelief and shoved one hand into my pocket. "No, really, Axel. What _are _you doing here? Going to screw up my whole day again? Huh? Came to watch me be miserable? What? What're you doing here?"

He became silent and continued to stare at me blankly. Again, I shook my head and began walking toward the door.

"I'm outta here..." But, as I reached forward to push the door, my action was forced to a stop when he shot for my hand and pulled my body toward him. I let out a light gasp and nearly thought I had crossed the line of attitude for him. My head ached from being forced against the wall so my mind was too jumbled to be able to think straight. The lights were blurred from my vision while I began seeing more of one object floating in front of my eyes. I could feel my body being pushed together by another and I instantly knew something was wrong.

I could barely remember what had exactly occurred at that time. All I could recall was the feel of something warm against my lips. A strange wetness entering my mouth and passionately licking at my bottom lip...that's right...I could feel something touching me; rubbing at my leg.

I shot my eyes open and fell to the ground once the sensations subsided. Above me Axel was smiling rather approvingly at me and all I could do was stare at him at a loss of what to say.

"You know, maybe I was wrong...that cafeteria stuff doesn't taste so bad," He said sinfully.

"Wh...what?"

"Shh," He whispered, "Maybe I'll consider it now..." And without another word or strange move, he was out of the bathroom, leaving me in a daze on the floor.

* * *

**Ok! Just to clear some confusion, here's some info on the characters:**

**So, Axel and Riku are said to be twin brothers; both 17 years old. Now, Riku started school at the average age while Axel started onw year late due to a reason I won't mention at this time. :) I also mentioned that Axel went to Hallow Bastion and stayed there for one year without being in school so, he missed a grade and had to take it when he came back. Now that leaves him behind two years. So, technically, Riku is in 11th while Axel is stuck in the 9th grade. Does this make sense? I hope it does:) It's just a randomness I made while waiting to fall asleep in Las Vegas... -.-zzzZZZ 10 reviews pweas! thank you!**

**_smiles!  
kokoro77_**


	7. Chapter Seven: I Spy at Practice

Chapter Seven: I Spy at Practice

The bathroom floor was my acquaintance for what felt like long, breath taking hours. All I could do was remain curled up on the floor with my hands holding the back of my head where it throbbed with pain. I could still sense his presence with me: standing above my limp body, watching me with those bright, bright eyes. I envisioned his smile and the way it curved sinisterly upon his lips. My mind remained boggled. My heart raced. My breathing almost seemed unwilling to ease. Again, I began to question myself about who I really was. Maybe this was the reason why I didn't give much attention to girls...

The school bell began to resound in the hallways in a muffled tone from behind the bathroom walls. I perked my eyes up and my heart fluttered once I recalled where I was and that I was alone.

_"Roxas! Roxas, are you still there?" _

"Uh, y-yeah! Coming!" I replied to the sound of Hayner's muffled voice directly outside. With my head still aching, I allowed my hands to fall back to my sides and I stood.

"Damn..." I winced by the time I had straightened myself. Despite the pain that stabbed inside my skull, what really struck me as awkward was the tingling sensation that remained on my lips. Absently, I found myself touching my mouth where I had felt him. I couldn't have...enjoyed something like that? I denied it and forced the thought to the back of my head before pushing at the doors surface and rejoining with Pence and Hayner in the halls. Not only was I oblivious to what High School would bring but what that manipulative teen had up his sleeve.

Axel...

xxXXxx

"What kept you so long, Roxas?"

My pencil froze while halfway scribbling down notes and I cautiously turned my head to Pence who was seated at my left. I took a quick glance at our math teacher's back at the front of the room and quietly replied, "I was just having issues with the sink was all."

"Either that or you spent too long on the toilet." He covered his mouth to laugh and I rolled my eyes as I turned back to my paper, not bothering to reply.

"Hey, thought about signing up for basketball yet?" Hayner asked from my right.

"You're still fixed on that?" I replied.

He shrugged and began to doodle around the border of his paper. "Why not? I'm trying out; you should too!"

"I don't know. Besides, they only accept the tall people."

"Who said you were short? Come on! It'll be fun! We legally get homework cuts because practice time cuts into study time."

"You just do it for the homework?"

"That, and the fact that we get to kick Sunset Hill's asses in, like, every game."

I pictured Olette playing against us from the other side of the court, trying to catch the ball while trying to catch information for the newspaper all at once. I sighed and nodded once.

"Fine. I'll do it."

"Great! We'll signup on Friday after school, got it?"

He went back to doodling nonsense on his paper while I stared out the window on the left wall of the classroom. I should have been listening to our math teacher but, frankly, my mind wasn't interested in the circumference of a circle. Instead, my thoughts revolved around absolute confusion. Axel was seated beside the window with Demyx at his front and Zexion at his back. He kept his eyes glued to the ceiling while he leaned back in his chair in his own little bubble away from the lesson. I wondered what he was thinking about. To be honest with you, I hoped he was just as perplexed as I was about our little moment in the bathroom.

xxXXxx

The first week of 9th grade ran pretty quickly after the second day. Mrs. Lockhart still made demonstrations but avoided using Axel and me for each one. Instead, it was our turn to laugh when she brought Demyx together with the skeleton dummy used for science.

Each lunch period, Hayner, Pence, and I sat at the same exact spot you sat in and each time, we gossiped about Axel's posse. Strangely, I found myself slowly slipping away from those conversations every day. Something about talking about him made me shift. I even found myself staying awake at night, arms crossed behind my head, aqua eyes staring up at the glow-in-the-dark stars, while I thought about what my friends had said about him.

_"Did you see what he did at P.E today? Oh, man!" _

_"I bet he'll never graduate...!" _

_"Think he even cares?" _

_"Probably not." _

I still never mentioned to Sora about the Sex Education demonstration nor did I speak to him about how he kissed me.

On Wednesday, Olette released that paper she had showed us in the street which aroused gossip and rumors. Among those rumors: Axel. I didn't want to judge him anymore.

Thursday, Marluxia went missing at lunch time and came nearly thirty five minutes late for the class after. We figured he went home for a while or he was in the nurse's office. By the looks of his droopy eyes and his drained expression, I thought of the worst but kept it away from the line of gossip.

On these days, Axel and I said not a word to each other.

So, Friday comes along...

"Is that Roxas?"

"Where?"

"All the way over there! Hey! Roxas!"

"Yup, that's him, y'know?"

I looked up from the ground; freezing on the spot in what I had thought was a deserted hallway. Several feet away, my attention was brought to who I least expected to see. I twitched and planted my feet firmly on the tiled floor.

"Is that _really_ you, Roxas?"

I ignored the sly voice and only clutched the strap of my backpack tighter.

"Don't pretend you can't hear us!" The voice was followed by heavy footsteps coming my way but I still kept my ground, eying my nemesis irately.

"I'm not in the mood to talk to you, Seifer," I hissed, glowering at him as he and his group of loyal followers plodded along at his side.

He, just like the rest of the people in school I knew from the past, looked extremely screwed up in their clean black uniforms. I at least expected Seifer to put on his beanie or leave his shirt unbuttoned like Axel always did. But, no. He and his two other companions were dressed formally from head to toe and I chuckled.

"What's so funny, twerp?" Seifer barked when they were nearly a step away from my body.

"Nothing. Nothing at all," I lied with a smirk on my face.

"Don't mess with Seifer, y'know?" The dark skinned, strong built teen to Seifer's right retorted. Rai was always a suck up when it came to making Seifer happy. What ever Seifer wanted, Rai made sure that he got it. Usually, that included beating me to the ground.

"Like I said, I don't have time for..."

"Ah, ah, ah, hold on, buddy. Don't think we just came for a chat." Before I could respond, Seifer already had Rai inching toward me, cracking his knuckles with a dimwitted smile.

"Seifer, I'm not here to start anything..." I said, taking a single step back. Just below Seifer's knees stood an awkward sort of creature that I knew as Vivi. Vivi was the most recent addition to Seifer's posse but he was clearly the least intimidating. With his tall wizard hat and large amber eyes, he appeared more like a cutesy kid trying to fit in. He laughed while examining Rai walk toward me and I continued to step back.

"I've had it with your little attitude," Seifer said.

"Well, I've had it with these meaningless fights...h-hey! There's such thing as personal space!" I barely dodged Rai's hand when he shot forward. I wasn't about to put up with petty fights in High School and I sure as hell wasn't going to put up with them in any other time of my life. Letting out a frustrated yell, I darted away to the separate hall that I had passed earlier, scuffing my shoes against the floor. To my dismay, it happened to be the dead end I had seen Axel's friends for the first time.

"Dead end, y'know?"

In a daze, I stared up at the wall before me then turned to Rai who blocked my only escape. I felt as if I was merely a play toy for an oversized cat. I had felt Rai's punches several times before and I knew for a fact he wasn't about to release me before I was either crying my eyes out or I had my entire arm covered in bruises.

"What's the point of this?" I asked, my voice quivering a bit.

Seifer's villain-like laugh came from around the corner before he came into sight. "The point? For being a stubborn little bastard is the point."

"I wasn't put on this world to be your personal entertainment!" I yelled as I backed into the pile of cardboard boxes I had once seen Axel sitting atop. Why was I thinking of him?

"See, that's where..." He was instantly cut off when a swift blend of black and crimson flew past his body. At the sound of Seifer's pained yell, I blinked in surprise when I viewed him lying on the floor with his attacker standing over him.

Rai was caught of guard and his jaw dropped when he saw Seifer sprawled on the ground. All Vivi could do was pull his mage's hat tightly over his eyes and back into a wall.

"Having some fun, here, are we?" The teen asked reticently to my dumbstruck enemy.

"Axel!" I exclaimed, not recognizing my own voice when I spoke his name. I shut my mouth quickly and simply watched his every move. I felt my lips begin to quiver and I forcefully bit down to make them cease although they persisted.

"Y-You..." Seifer stammered in a stunned voice.

Axel raked a hand through his flame red hair then cracked his fingers. "That's rude. I've got a name you know...Axel."

"What is your problem!" Seifer responded. This time, I caught a hint of nervousness in his voice and I found myself smiling at the way Axel was going about saving me. Wait...it suddenly occurred to me that he was...saving me? I shook my head and almost didn't believe it. What more about him didn't I know? I became curious.

"_My _problem? What's your problem picking on Roxas?"

"What? Not like you care about him!"

Axel scoffed and shook his head to the ceiling. "Let's just say, if I didn't, I wouldn't have gone looking for him, would I?"

"E-Excuse me?" I asked, interrupting the two's conversation. I wasn't even sure that Axel heard me and I really hoped he didn't. My face began heating up and I stared at him speechless.

"Y-you...you'll regret this!" I nearly burst out laughing at how fast Seifer slipped away and ran down the hall. I wasn't even sure he was headed in the right direction which only added to my amusement. Rai sped on after him with Vivi lagging behind, tripping once in the center of the hall.

"It's Axel! You should memorize it!" Axel called back before scratching the side of his head. "Geez, he's definitely more dimwitted than you."

I slowly looked up from the ground and faced him, something I thought I would never in my life want to do. But, something told me I wanted to look at him. What he just did...who he was...amazing. With his eyes staring into my own, I felt like I could melt away. No! What was I thinking? I still hated him...I still hated what he did to me...keep it together! Don't be stupid! But...was this really being stupid?

"You ok?" His cool voice rang in my ear.

"Uh, y-yeah," I replied in almost a whisper.

He remained at a far distance, almost too far, and crossed his arms over his unbuttoned shirt. "What was that all about?"

"N-Nothing. He's just a guy that used to bully me when I was younger." As to why I was telling him this, I had no earthly idea.

"Well, you heard me. I came looking for you. You're almost twenty minutes late for History," He said, his voice strangely serious as if nothing at all happened. He seemed to do that a lot and I figured it was his special way of avoiding bad events. Again, I was thinking about him!

"Am I...am I in trouble?" I managed to say.

He snickered to himself before saying, "You're pathetic!"

My eyes narrowed but, for some reason, I didn't want to punch him this time. I didn't want to see him begging for mercy below me. Between you readers and me, _I sort of wanted to have him over my body like before..._

"No, the teacher says that, since it's the first week, she'll let you off easy."

"Why would you worry about me anyway?" I suddenly asked against what my mind wanted instead: to remain stubborn and quiet.

His arms fell to his sides and, for a moment, I thought he was going to attack me the way he was staring into my eyes again. Again...again I was curious about his behavior. Maybe I would simply let him go for me. It seemed like one of the ways I would get to discover more about him. Was I completely forgetting what he had done to me? That was against my will! It was the last thing I wanted to do: kiss _him_. Or...dammit my mind was so mixed.

"You're welcome," He said simply and turned his back on me to start for class.

"Uh...yeah...t-thanks..." I muttered, still feeling a heated blush dance on my cheeks. As I followed him from a fair distance, my hands tingled uncomfortably and my eyes stared helplessly as he walked ahead.

_"Why are you doing this to me?"_

xxXXxx

"Think we'll make the team?" Hayner perked up while he finished passing basketballs to me to put away.

Putting the last of them back, I shrugged and crossed my arms behind my neck. "I guess."

He glared at me and smacked me upside the head, dangerously near where the pain from being forced against a wall was. "Think positive, man!"

"Alright! Fine! We'll make the team, we'll make the team!"

"Hah, that's better. See what a little persuasion can do?" He reached forward and pushed through the doors, allowing both of us to walk into the crowded locker room. All around us were sweaty teens running either in a towel or in absolutely nothing at all. I gaped at them but Hayner pushed me on, constantly telling me not to seem like a homosexual.

"I have to admit, I didn't think Demyx was much of a basketball person until he scored all those points," He said, beginning to pull off his shirt.

"Well, maybe you shouldn't judge..." I chuckled to myself and pulled my shirt off as well, feeling relaxed by the air-conditioning against my face.

"Oh, shut up." He tossed a dirty sock at my face and I yelped.

"Eww! Get it off!" I uselessly flailed my hands in the air before he came over to peel it off my face so I could breathe easier now.

"You're such a girl, Roxas," Hayner snickered and wrapped a towel around his waist as he began to head for the shower room. "You coming?" He called over his shoulder.

I nodded and followed him with my own towel around myself. I was laughing up until the point when I saw Demyx completely naked as he exited a shower stall. After that, I nearly gagged but walked on to search for an empty shower. All the showers had clear doors that were only non-see through when the steam would fog up the glass. Hayner slipped into the shower Demyx had just exited, leaving me to wait amongst the drunken, off-key singing and perverted jokes.

"What I do for a best friend..." I muttered and stared forward while leaning next to Hayner's stall. I suddenly froze and my knees buckled. My body returned to being hot and it wasn't because of the steam escaping the showers. My sparked eyes widened when they fell upon Axel with his back turned in the shower in front of me. Cautiously, I turned both left and right before returning to eye him, only hoping he hadn't noticed me yet.

Most of his lower body was shielded by a cloud of fog against the heated glass, leaving his entire back and face visible to me. His hair, being under water, had darkened and drooped slightly to touch his shoulders. He was casually soaping his arms under the hot water that dripped down his baby soft skin. I suddenly felt like the world could fade away while I stared, unblinking, at his slim body. I thought of walking up to his stall, open the door and tell him I thought no one was there. Then, who knows what? Would he chase me out or overpower me again?

Just a bit longer...god I wanted to kill him for doing this to me. Now he was making a peeping Tom out of me!

* * *

**I bet there will be a lot of people flaming me now for making a peeping person out of Roxas. O.o -hides- I'm sorry! ahem -pops out of corner- thank you for all those who commented! hmm, you all deserve something for that! uh...uh...-magically poofs up cookies and kingdom hearts stuffies and gives them to people- :D yay! 10 reviews at least? -dances and eats a cookie- :D**

**_the currently sleepy yet hyper at the same time,  
kokoro77 -.-zzZZ_**


	8. Chapter Eight: Not so Study Hall

Chapter Eight: Not-so Study Hall

I continued to stare: jaw dropped, and sweat dripping uncontrollably on the surface of my skin. I couldn't even explain that feeling. My mind was blank; my body was pushing me to do something against my will. Or, was this really against my will? This didn't feel right...turn away, Roxas, turn away. But, no. Those thoughts only lingered and I took no action. He was just too...different.

"Roxas?"

I jolted and nearly banged my head at the wall behind me. I smiled coolly at Hayner who was staring in confusion at my right. "Yeah?"

He scoffed and sent a smack on my shoulder. "You've been daydreaming too much. Come on; get in that shower stall before someone else takes it!" With that, he turned his back on me and left to change in the unruly locker room.

"Right..." Releasing a deep breath, I headed for the shower stall Hayner had exited. Still, something was nagging at the back of my head and I was sure that it wasn't my bruise. He was just too different...different in a way I couldn't help but obsess over. I hoped the shower would release the tension in my body and slip those thoughts away from my head. Sadly, that was only a wish. I was still living in a nightmare.

xxXXxx

"See? Got it all in the paper," Olette said the following Wednesday afternoon after school. She confidently shoved the black and white print in our faces: 'our' being Hayner, Pence, and me. She quickly dragged her finger to somewhere near the middle of the front page and tapped it once. "Go on! Read it!"

"_Evidence of possible murder found in back alley: Story by Olette,_" I read aloud while Hayner rolled his eyes.

"Lemme guess. This is another one of your latest scoops on the gang, right?" He asked harshly.

She shook the paper in his face so I ended up losing my place in the sentence I had been reading. "So? What if it is? For your information, this case doesn't only point fingers at them!"

"Just read it before she gives you a paper cut, Hayner," Pence said in a sing-song voice only to be slapped upside the head.

I read on, "_At approximately 6:03 this Wenesday morning, there were various reports of a bloody t-shirt found in a dumpster in the back alley of Twilight Town,_" I paused and spoke up to Olette as she remained hidden from behind the sheets of paper, "Wait, _our_ back alley?"

"The one with the Usual Spot?" Hayner asked afterward.

"The same one. Keep reading!"

"_No tests have yet been run on the blood stains found on the shirt. However, tests have been done in the area the shirt was discovered. Scientists refuse to release any information on the research until tests are complete."_

"Murder, huh? Come on, Twilight Town's the safest place I've ever heard of!" Pence stated as Olette began folding the paper up again and tucked it neatly into her book bag.

"Don't be so sure," She replied, tucking a strand of hazel brown hair behind her ear, "Every place with human interactivity has to at least have some criminal record floating around somewhere. True, this place is safe, but, that doesn't mean that we don't have dangerous cases every once in a while."

"Bull..." Hayner mumbled into my ear and I laughed, nudging him in the shoulder.

For a second, Olette glared at him but simply let it go. "Once the tests are complete, we should figure out if this was a murder case or if it was just some sort of accident."

"A bloody t-shirt sure doesn't sound like an accident," I replied, placing one foot on the first stair to my house.

"It could have been ketchup or something! You'll never know!"

"Oh, let it go, Olette," Pence said, breaking into a steady run without her.

"Hey! Wait up!"

"Hayner! Pence! Ooo, I hate you so much!"

I watched the three of them race down the brick stone streets, their laughing and yelling suddenly becoming lost in the distant sound of the tower bells ringing. I lost sight of them by the time they ran around the corner, Olette lagging behind. We always used to hang out together in a place called, the 'Usual Spot'. Most people in town didn't dare to pass by the back alley except for when posters about upcoming events needed to be posted. So, the thought of a bloody t-shirt in the dumpster struck me as out of the ordinary. Someone, apparently, had dared to pass through. I let the thought stay on my mind by the time I opened the door and slipped into the, once again, drama filled living room.

"What's up, mom?" I greeted, watching her stare at the television with no intention of breaking away.

"Oh, just Katherine again," She replied, her eyes still fixed on one spot.

"Katherine?" I asked, trying to sound interested.

"See, she was just called to the hospital for a sudden medical check up on her baby. She hasn't had the baby yet and the doctors assume that the pregnancy might have to be cut short. Of course, she goes and meets Adam in the waiting room! Can you believe that? Adam couldn't care less about her since he got together with his boyfriend after the divorce!"

"Boyfriend, eh?"

"Yeah, I know. Katherine and Adam were married until she found out he was cheating on her with a guy named Rodney who just happens to be Katherine's best friend, Chelsea's brother! It's awful!"

"Sounds intense..." I said sarcastically but she didn't seem to notice and simply nodded in reply. Leaving her to sob over whoever's sister-in-law was, I darted up the stairway and into my room...right. I still had to get around cleaning it.

xxXXxx

I marked my calendar to how many days left of school there were. Last Monday, minus the weekends, up to today were each struck out with the pencil I had dangling from the wall beside the calendar. I sighed deeply when I backed away to fully see the remaining days. Great; over 180 days left.

"It's nearly over..." I groaned as I flopped atop my bed, still staring up at the grey 'x' marks on the days. I found myself eying the pencil I had been using to cross them out and I heard that familiar _clink _ring my head. I still wondered why I kept that pencil. Seeing as Axel might have given it to me made me think that I would rather snap it in half than use it. It, of course, could have been someone else...no. I was pretty sure it was him.

"What a jerk." I abruptly stood from my mattress and trust my arm out to rip the pencil right of the air it was suspended in. Just as I felt the wood brush against the tip of my finger, I stopped and began to unblinkingly stare at it. Go on! Get it! Snap it in two! Don't just stand there, do it!

_"Roxas! Dinner's ready!"_

In a daze, I turned away and brought my hand back. "Be right there, mom!" Lately, I had been blaming what I was eating for my strange behavior. But this, this was beyond strange. As if the pencil was a person, I said, "See ya," over my shoulder and walked out, slamming the door behind me.

xxXXxx

"So, how was basketball practice today?" Sora asked while writing something down on a piece of lined paper.

I looked up from my food and replied, "Ok, I guess. Hayner's overly confident that we'll make the team."

"Sora, do you _really_ have to do homework at the table?" Mom said sternly.

"Hey, it's educational! You're the one that always says our education comes first, right?" He said and I quietly mouthed, "_Smart ass_."

"I'm sorry, Roxas. Go ahead. So, you think you'll make the team?"

"Well, maybe. There were a lot of other people that were better at playing that I was. Still, there's always a chance."

"Oh, quit being so negative!" She teased, playfully tapping the back of my hand. "You'll make it!"

I watched her laugh to herself and sat, not touching my food again. As I said, I blamed what I had been eating for messing with my thoughts and the way my body was acting. I only ate a bit at school except for when they served ramen. _That_, I knew I'd eat and be ok. After that incident with the soda, however, I kept away from buying carbonated drinks to avoid going to the bathroom. Why? Why else? To keep away from Axel.

It wasn't like I was intimidated by him or anything like that but that I was uncomfortable about what he might do to me. When ever he was around, I could feel my pulse run faster in my veins. When ever I went into the locker room in the gym or when I was about to be the last person to leave the classroom with him, I would either run past him or have to undergo intense pressure. What freaked me out was that I felt these emotions when ever he was in the same room or building as me.

"Roxas?"

"Huh?" I blurted out, shooting my head up from my plate.

"Are you ok? You're barely eating anything..." Mom said in a concerned voice as she leaned in closer to me.

"Yeah, and I think you're dosing off too," Sora added as he continued to scribble down answers then erase them on his paper.

"Sorry...it's been pretty hectic today..." I rubbed the back of my neck and pushed away from the table.

"Well, go upstairs and sleep," She ordered, already grabbing my plate, "Can't have you dozing off here or you'll for sure fall asleep at school! Upstairs! Now!"

"Ok, ok! I'm going!" As she pulled me up from my chair and pushed me out of the dining room, I heard Sora yell, "Night, Roxas!" from the room and I nearly stumbled when I met with the first stair step.

"Goodnight, Roxas."

"Uh, yeah, night, mom..." Maybe that was it! I was just tired! If I slept earlier at night, chances were I wouldn't be as stressed out at school in the morning. Hoping my theory would stand correct, I sped through brushing my teeth and crawled into bed. Sadly, sleep didn't come until 1:00 in the morning. So much for that theory.

xxXXxx

On Thursday morning, news spread quickly about the news Olette told us about. Research on the bloody t-shirt had started and already people had their hunches. Word was that it wasn't a murder and that it was nothing but an accident as Olette assumed it to be. The article based on the latest scoop was pinned to the corkboard in the hallway where seemingly hundreds of students crowded around to spread even more gossip.

While being shoved back and forth in the flood, I spotted Axel staying out of the commotion with Demyx standing worriedly beside him. Axel, himself, appeared bothered and could only stare aimlessly at the floor, drawing random shapes on the tile with his foot.

I didn't tell Hayner or Pence about it by the time their daily gossip conversation started up at lunch time.

Friday came quicker than I thought it would. Everything always seemed to happen on a Friday and I could only pray the night before that they wouldn't be awful or that they would involve me _or_ a combination of the two. So, as I walked to Math after lunch time that day, I was relieved that nothing had occurred...yet. Yes; _yet_.

"Roxas, no math today!" I heard Hayner's voice yelled excitedly as I pushed open the door.

"What? Why?" I asked, freezing in the doorway.

"Teacher's absent today 'cause he's got some meeting to attend to," He replied over the rustling of papers and exchanging of words.

"So, what're we gonna do?"

_"Study hall_."

I jumped and spun around at the sound of an emotionless voice behind me. I was slightly relieved to meet eyes with Zexion who was currently wearing a pair of thin reading glasses over his only visible lavender tinted eye.

"Ah, Roxas," He began, tilting his glasses slightly, "Haven't spoken with you in a while."

"Y-Yeah...how've things been?"

He smiled lightly and shrugged. "Typical. Anyway, the librarian told me to tell the class that you've all got Study Hall to replace the math period today. Our math teacher told me ahead of time."

There was sudden disappointed groaning behind me and I quickly glanced over my shoulder at the sight of all of the students gathering up themselves at the sound of Study Hall. Hayner came up beside me and stared up at Zexion. "You know him?" He asked.

"Yes, he does. You can assure that my friends and I are treating him quite well."

"Wait, you're one of those guys that were hanging around that Axel character at lunch last week, right?"

From behind his glasses, Zexion's eyes narrowed while his smile returned. "Yes. That's me. Well, go on, Roxas and Hayner. Better head to the library before class if over." As quietly as he came, he turned his back on us and walked heedlessly away with his hands hidden in his pockets.

"He...remembers my name? What a freak..." Hayner whispered to me before following me the way Zexion had been walking. I shook my head and, again, led myself away from gossiping about Axel's group. It didn't feel right to talk about them. I don't know...they were pretty friendly...I guess. They didn't deserve words like that spoken about them.

The library was the largest area in the building. It was often open to the public and was yearly available for students that needed time to study up on a specific topic. Zexion was one of the students that had his parents request for study times during Sex Ed. Lucky him...I wished I could have scheduled something like that _months_ before school even started.

The walls in the library were dome shaped and were painted a coffee color which was clearly visible behind the cherry wood used in all the bookshelves. The double doors were some sort of heavy wood with one large, frosted window on each door. Just to the left of the entrance was a small desk where one computer and one young woman sat behind it, reading silently to herself. She gently shushed us as he poured into the barrier of silence and began searching for a study area to work in.

"I've got a math test to study for," I whispered while Hayner and Pence walked at each side of me along the red carpet.

"I'd better see what I can dig up on that up coming Science paper." With a quick wave, Pence disappeared from behind a tall bookshelf.

"That's him for ya, ever the valedictorian." Hayner laughed and was immediately shushed by the librarian.

"Come on, there's a place over here..." I led him into an empty area at the far back of the library that was completely concealed by bookshelves. A fairly large, cherry wood table rested in the center of the hideaway with three chairs neatly placed around it. I gently placed my text books onto the table and Hayner did the same before letting out a heaved sigh.

"What?" I asked, watching him search through his backpack while tossing crumbled paper onto the floor.

"Damn! Must have left my math book at home!" With another sigh, he ruffled up his hair and turned to leave. "I'll just look for one here. You stay here and find something we can study on for the test." Quickly, he rushed out, leaving me alone in the sun drenched spot. When I heard book toppling over soon after he left, I chuckled when the librarian's angered voice began lecturing who I assumed was him.

"Idiot." Lazily, I turned toward the text books on the table and sat myself behind the table.

"Let's see...circumference...area...oh, great," I hissed while scratching the side of my head and staring down at the equations on one page. "As if _I'd_ know any of this...!"

_"You should've paid attention in class."_

At the sound of the dangerously familiar voice, my body and mind did exactly it always did when things like this happened. My face heated up and my heart felt as it had jumped into my throat. I swallowed and let a deep breath escape my throat. Still, I refused to turn around and face him.

"Axel..." I said insensitively, still flipping through the pages, this time quicker and harder.

There was a moment of silence before he chuckled. "Roxas, long time no contact."

"Missed me, did you?" I asked just as uncaring as before.

"Mm, not a whole lot."

"Well, what're you doing here?"

Suddenly, there was a hard pounding thud right beside my ear and I gasped as I stared at a heavy math book only inches away from my hand. A growl escaped from my throat.

"It's just this one problem...see..." Separate from his rough action to the book, he carefully thumbed through a few pages until he stopped onto the same page as I was pretending to read. Slowly he dragged his finger across the page and finally stopped on problem number twenty one, the same one I had my finger placed on.

I stared up at him while his eyes blankly eyed the equation. "It's..."

"You need help?" I interrupted, resting my chin atop my hand.

He blinked and an embarrassed smile curved his lips. "Uh...yeah."

Scoffing, I pulled the book closer to me and read the problem in my head before looking up at him again. "Maybe _you're_ the one that should've paid attention in class."

He rubbed his head and averted his eyes to the book. "Probably...no one else knows it and Zexion's refusing to tell me a damn thing about it."

I rolled my eyes and grabbed and piece of paper and a pencil before scribbling down the equation and going through it step by step. "See, you take this number here, right?"

"Yeah..."

"And you multiply by this one here."

"Ok..."

"Then, you get that answer and take it over here and multiply by the third number, got it?" Feeling rather smart, I leaned back into my chair with my arms crossed while Axel continued to stare at the paper with a raised eyebrow.

"Got it?" I repeated, hoping he would go away.

All he could do was look up and shoot his eyes into my own. "Not at all."

I groaned and stood to sit myself atop the table, the chair suddenly feeling extremely uncomfortable. "You're not even paying attention!"

"I just learn slower than other people, Roxas," He said rather innocently and I felt a tingle spread on my hands.

"Ok, look, you try that one," I said, directing my finger to problem number twenty two.

"Ok...oops." My eyes followed the pencil roll off the table and onto the floor just as Axel was about to use it. Quickly, I bent down and retrieved it, grumbling angrily to myself.

_"Why do I get stuck with him! Why!"_ "Ok, here, just..."

Too late. Another trick played, another trap fallen into. By the time I pulled back up, the pencil rolled out of my hand and back under the table. I attempted to speak but Axel's forced lips on mine left me mute. My sapphire eyes blazed; all my senses tingled...my body fell limp and silent. His eyes were shut while he went about parting my lips. By leaning backward, I attempted to break away but he just followed, pressing his body against my own. Part of my body being my crotch. A few of the books at the bookshelf I had been forced against toppled out and messily lay on the floor behind me. His tongue slid around inside me...both his hands holding my own down to block resistance. I heard him groan quietly.

Not once did I say a thing...

Books were pushed unwanted to the floor. Crumpled notes and pencils lay scattered across the chairs and table. I wondered why no one had seen us. I wondered why Hayner hadn't come back yet. And as I stared down, I wondered how it was that my zipper was undone.

Panting wildly, blue met teal after his body pulled off of me. I left my mouth halfway open and, not surprisingly, my lips were tingling again yet more painfully. The back of my head, strangely, wasn't pounding as it had before. Had he gone soft with me? Or, better yet, had he gone crazy over me?

As if nothing had happened, he smirked and picked up his math book from the floor along with the pencil under the table. When he came back up, he suddenly stared at me in an almost seducing sort of way that I wanted to hate but couldn't escape from. I just stared back at him, heart racing, eyes widened.

"Naughty, naughty, Roxas. You were supposed to be tutoring me..." He said jokingly, running a hand through his hair.

I froze, still mesmerized by him. His body, his attitude, his voice...everything about him twisted my mind to think about nothing else. What was even more confusing was that he was a _guy_. Not a girl...a _guy_. I couldn't have enjoyed that...no...

With my voice quivering I finally spoke up, "I hate you..."

He shook his head to floor and took a single step toward me. "Really, now?"

I broke away and averted attention from him to the bookshelf at my left. "_Don't look, Roxas...this isn't right!_" I swallowed which made me feel as if my heart returned to my chest.

"Think so?" I shuddered at the warmness of his hand touching my cheek. Still, I kept still and shut my eyes. He felt under my chin, touched my neck, then stopped at the corner of my mouth. Why was this happening? By the time I had my eyes halfway opened, I realized he had gotten me to face him. I didn't know how...he just...did. He gently stroked a finger against my lip and I released a shaken gasp, more like a groan, and I hastily clung to the table to stop myself.

That annoying little chuckle came again and my eyes slowly opened to see him backing away from me. "Didn't think so..." He turned his back from me and winked before slipped away to leave me amongst the papers and books.

"Whoa! Roxas! What happened?"

I looked up and spotted Hayner walking toward me. Was Axel even really here? I blinked and tried to speak but each time I tried, the words ended up as nothing but faint noises.

"Oh...man! X-Y-Z!"

Quickly, I stared down at my pants where I remembered the zipper had been undone. If he had stayed longer, I knew my pants wouldn't have been on for long...

* * *

**Sorry for the extended wait on this chapter! I've been kinda busy lately! Gomen! -hands out cookies again and falls asleep- ah...3 in the morning...need...sleep...-cuddles axel plushie and dream about akuroku- :D Yes...Axel is very demanding by the way...>:D**

**_heart heart heart,  
kokoro77_**


	9. Chapter Nine: Maybe I just like you

**Author's Note: Phew! Again, I feel like such an idiot for updating late...-bangs head on keyboard- ;; And, the one time I am reading to post the chapter, has some issues with uploading! waah! -runs around- ahem...well, let's hope you guys aren't so mad at me that you will flame me! -hides- A LOT happens in this chapter and, I'm sure if you skip them, you will be lost if you decide to read on:P Well, here's chapter nine as promised:D**

* * *

Chapter Nine: "Maybe I just like you"

After the incident in the library, I couldn't think of anything else for the rest of the day. Hayner eventually got hold of a math book but, strangely, time seemed to speed by and he only had less than fifteen minutes to study for the test. He only laughed when I re-zipped my zipper while I blushed. I felt my face was overheating for the remainder of the day. Right before school ended, I ran into the bathroom to wash my face. I felt strangely dirty after Axel had forced himself on me again.

Watching the water drip off my face, I heaved a sigh then stared up at the ceiling while leaning against the porcelain sink.

"Hope you're having fun watching me suffer down here, dad."

Just then, the stall behind me opened and I stared at the person who had exited it. Not you again...

"Hello, Roxas," Axel greeted, walking up to a sink to my right but I kept quiet and wiped off my cheeks with a paper towel.

"_Ignore him...just keep it together. You can do this..."_ I momentarily glanced over at him in the mirror while he shut off the water. That's when a faint mark at the side of his cheek captured my attention. Though the mark was light, the grey coloring gave me the impression that it was another bruise. I found it weird that I hadn't noticed it before in the library...probably because I was too overcome by him.

"Catch you around," He said in his same sinful voice. Swiftly, he passed my back and I was forced forward by the sudden nudge by his elbow. Before I could call him a bastard, he pushed through the door and was gone.

"Yeah, hope I don't..." While inside, I knew, that wasn't true.

xxXXxx

"You sure Olette said she'd meet us here?" Pence asked while idly leaning against a tree trunk.

"Just wait a bit longer, 'kay?" Hayner, who was seated above us in a low tree branch, called down.

I absently gazed at the grass at my feet with my arms crossed and back pressed firmly against the bark. It wasn't that I was embarrassed that seemingly thousands of girls were walking around us. I didn't much care. I always steered away from those sorts of conversations in the locker room before and after P.E. The guys always talked about _miniskirts_, _parties_, _boobs_. As usual, Hayner occasionally joined in, Pence laughed, and I stood in the corner to wait for them to finish.

I was just wrapped up about earlier to a certain point that I thought I was obsessing.

"_Oh, my, gosh! That's him!"_

"_Where? Where!"_

"_There! Oh, I can't go over there!"_

"_Go! Go on! Hurry up! He's leaving!"_

I looked up from the grass when a sudden rush of white and blue sped past me. When I stared to my side, my eyes came into view with a group of three teenage girls: two of them pushing the light blonde girl down the pathway that led out of the school. The blonde had her hair tied up into two high pigtails and in her hands she tightly held onto a black book bag. Just ahead of them: Axel and his team of friends.

I couldn't help but watch the scene with intense curiosity.

"Hey! No! Stop it girls!" The blonde yelled out helplessly while her two friends continued to push her toward Axel's turned back.

"Three, two, one! Go get him!" At 'one', the two sent a strong push at the girl's back which sent her colliding with Axel's back. My eyes narrowed and, for some reason, I didn't like what I was seeing but I still watched.

"Hey! What's...?" I heard Axel yell out when he nearly tipped over.

"Oh, sorry! They pushed me." She straightened and thrust a thumb behind her back to her two friends that giggled playfully to themselves.

"Just watch where you're going..." He said shortly as he turned to walk away.

"_You're just being nice 'cause she's a girl..."_ I thought and shook my head. If that girl was me, I was sure he would have started a fight.

"Uhm, wait a sec..." The blonde added, leaning forward to catch Axel's attention. He stopped and stared at her as if she was insane. "Aren't you that guy from Twilight Town all boy's High School?" She inquired blissfully.

"Uh...there's a lot of guys at Twilight Town _all boy's High school_..." His friends, except Zexion, chuckled at his back.

"Oh, I know! It's just that, I think I've seen you before...wait...you're Axel, right?" She inched closer to him which made me and, I'm sure, Axel feel too close for comfort.

"Do I know you?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

She glanced over her shoulders at her two friends and all three of them began giggling flirtatiously. "No...but," She pointed to the center of her chest and added, "I'm Larxene."

I watched Axel take a step back. Oh, so he was feeling uncomfortable now? _"Feeling the heat you stinkin' bastard? Heh, take that!"_ As if this was one of mom's drama series episodes, I kept my eyes glued to the scene with anxiousness of what was coming next.

"Yeah...hi..." He replied slowly.

Larxene tucked a thin strand of blonde hair behind her ear and giggled again. "You know, a lot of girls at this school have _major_ crushes on you."

"That's nice."

"Isn't it? I mean, like, _every_ girl likes you."

"I'm guessing you're one of them?" He inquired, angrily punching Demyx in the stomach with his elbow to end his uncontrollable laughing.

"Well, I _did_ say every girl, right?" She said sweetly.

"Guess you did." This time, he did the same to Marluxia.

"Here. You've got instant messenger, right?" After reaching in her bag, Larxene slipped a white business card into Axel's hand which he stared at blankly.

"Uh...yeah?"

"Good! Just tell me it's you online and we'll chat, 'kay?"

"Sure." He shrugged and reached back to tuck the card in his back pocket. Now, I felt that amusement dying away. Something else was burning inside my chest but I couldn't place a finger on what it was. Something tingled at the tip of my tongue. I just had to yell something! Realizing that I had my teeth clenched and my hands were in fists, I blinked and stopped myself. What was...happening to me just now?

By the time I looked back, Larxene and her two friends had disappeared, leaving Axel to cope with the taunting of Demyx and Marluxia. Zexion kept his arms crossed and only walked away from the idiocy. The other three followed only seconds after. Oddly, I was now feeling sorry for Axel.

"Geez, Olette! Did you get detention or what?"

"Be quiet, Hayner! I was just having a talk with my friends was all!"

Abruptly, I turned to face Hayner jumping off from the branch to continue arguing with Olette. Since it was Friday, the four of us were scheduled to gather up in the Usual Spot in the back alley. Olette said that, as long as we kept behind the caution tape where the t-shirt was found, we would be able to be safe in the hangout.

"Come on, guys. Break it up before the ice cream melts!" I watched Pence pull four wrapped popsicles from inside his backpack and, for the first time, wanted to turn it away. My stomach turned at the thought of Larxene handing that paper to Axel. The reason? I wanted to deny it but I could have been:

_Jealous_

xxXXxx

"So, any news about that girl you saw coming out of Olette's school?" Sora asked me while he, once again, beat the living crap out of my character on the flashing screen.

I groaned when my character flew backward before dying on the spot. I eyed the 'Player One Wins!' with frustration in my eyes. "Girl? Oh, her..."

"Yeah, you said you were going to talk to her?" He returned to the start menu and quickly started up a new game.

"I never said I was going to _talk_ to her. I just said that I might have crushed on her a bit..."

"Then, go talk to her!" He released a rapid blow on my character, depleting nearly half of my HP.

"What if I don't want to?" I snapped, releasing several sword combos which scratched out half of Sora's HP.

"You'll never let her know what's on your mind unless you go talk to her!"

I knocked him down again but he just came back with more random explosions. "Something's just telling me that she's not even all that great anyway."

"Sounds like you hate her rather than like her, Roxas."

"I-don't-hate-her!" With one last blow, Sora's samurai flew backward and 'Player Two Wins!' blinked repeatedly on the television.

"Oh, really? Sure doesn't look like it!" He pulled himself from the living room carpet to the couch and pushed my head with his foot.

"Let's just forget it, ok?" I hissed and returned to the menu screen.

"You know..."

"Ok?" I repeated.

"Ok, ok. I get it." By the tone in Sora's voice, I knew he wasn't about to drop the topic so suddenly without getting even more on my nerves. I knew that, by tomorrow, he would start up the subject again. What more was there to tell him? I wished I hadn't told him about that 'girl'. If I hadn't been so stupid that day, I would have just turned away from asking advice from Sora.

Our game was cut short when mom demanded control of the remote to watch her soaps. After more lecturing, Sora handed it over, telling me we would win the battle soon enough, and we both dragged our feet up the stairs. I refused to eat dinner that night, pretending I had an upset stomach and wanted to get to bed early. The digital time read eight o'clock and the sky outside was already falling dark. The once autumn orange was fading into a pale shade of purple just outside my window.

Those numbers of the clock: red. How I had grown so fixed on the color yet detested it at the same time. The pencil dangling from my calendar seemed to hypnotize me as it swung lightly back and forth. Everything, now, seemed to remind me of him.

Laying in my bed, I slipped into a short moment of unconsciousness. I thought of the past with my friends: eating sea salt ice cream on the bell tower while daily spending our careless time in the Usual Spot. It was only today that we were able to do something like that again. I felt like we were all drifting apart now. I wondered where they would drift. I knew one thing, I was edging closer to Axel.

Now that that was happening, where were we to end up?

That's when I saw him, standing in front of me in a silent hallway, snakelike eyes watching me seductively. I felt my heart jump and my mouth barely open. He was the only clear figure standing in the blurred background. I wanted to run away. I wanted to scream. He kept me prisoner in something as simple as a gaze through his eyes. GET AWAY FROM ME!

Sweating like crazy, I shot up from my pillow and panted in the dark. The clock I had placed on my windowsill read 3:08 am. Now things were really going insane. Ever since we met...ever since he kissed me...these thoughts never seemed to rest.

"_I hate you...I love you..."_

xxXXxx

"Roxas! You got it! You made the team!"

"Huh? What team?" I asked that Tuesday afternoon while Hayner pushed me through the crowd of people huddled around the corkboard in the hallway.

"Man, you forget things easily! Basketball team!" He thrust a finger to the large yellow sheet pinned to the board and my eyes widened at the sight of my name printed neatly towards the end.

"What about you?" I asked worriedly, wandering my eyes on the sheet for Hayner's name. "Didn't you...?"

"Yeah...I did," He moped, punching the sheet lightly with his fist, "but our coach gave up my spot to someone else on the team and placed me as an extra."

"What?" I asked in disbelief. "What spot? Who...?"

"Apparently I'm not tall enough to play center so your new 'buddy' stole the title from me. Now I'm forced to sit on the benches unless someone dies on the court or something like that."

Buddy...oh, right. I didn't bother to search for Axel and, instead, glared at his name at the top of the list. Sure, he was tall but Hayner worked hard to play center. I didn't remember seeing him in the tryouts so how would I know if he was even good enough? I only remembered seeing him behind fogged glass in the shower. He must have found a way around the tryouts and cheated his way through.

I patted Hayner on the shoulder and pulled him by the wrist out of the crowd. "Forget it. At least you're still on the team."

"Pft, yeah? I'm not on the team! I'm just an extra...man, I hate that guy!"

"Hayner, it's not his fault," I began, "it was the coach who decided."

"Since when do you move over to his side?" He asked sternly, turning to face me by the time we were only steps away from our lockers. Or should I say _his_ locker because I really didn't own one.

"I'm not moving over to his side! It's just that I hate the gossip and stuff..."

"And you said you hated him..." His voice trailed off and he rolled his eyes.

Watching him attempt to open his locker, I thought about what he had said. I wasn't joining sides with Axel! He was way too insane. I even wondered if he was well enough to be at school. This was so screwed up! First I said I didn't want to be part of the gossip but here I was, creating a personal gossip circle in my mind. I wondered what Hayner would say if I told him about Axel...no. Hayner was my best friend, sure. Still, that didn't mean I had to tell him every little thing that happened in my life.

On his fourth try, Hayner was able to pop open his locker for us to retrieve our things. Sex Education, from the first day up until now, still made me queasy. Whenever Mrs. Lockhart even mentioned _this_ or _that_ or _some of those_ I blushed. At first, I thought I would be mature about it. It wasn't until we advanced into the packet she gave us did things start getting uncomfortable. What was worse, we had a test coming up on chapter one of our book: Safe Sex.

"We've got our first game on Friday after school, got it?"

I looked up from the ground as we both walked to Sex Ed and I nodded although I didn't hear a thing he said.

"Or should I say, _you've _got your first game on Friday," He slumped forward and sighed miserably.

"Let it go, Hayner..." Quietly, I turned the door handle and we both slipped into room number thirteen. I gaped at the sight of two, mint colored pills sitting atop of all our desks while Hayner nudged me in the shoulder to stop me.

"Don't get any wrong ideas!" He whispered and we both sat behind our desks. Sadly, he was toward the window and I was seated against the wall so I felt pretty secluded.

Nearly halfway into the period, Mrs. Lockhart picked up the two tablets from Marluxia's desk and began to describe what they were. I wanted to plug my ears after hearing that it would have to be studied for us to know the questions about it on the test.

"Does anyone know what this is called?" She asked cheerfully, holding the two pills in the palm of her left hand.

There was an empty silence mixed in with whispered guesses floating in the classroom. I turned to Demyx who was poking the pill nervously with the tip of his pencil. I had a pretty good feeling he knew what it was.

"Maybe if you've ever watched television you would have seen at least a couple of advertisements about this certain pill. This one I'm currently holding is a similar version of Ciallis that heightens sexual emotions for men."

Almost as if on cue, I slammed my head against my desk along with several other people in the class that were attempting to hide their blushing faces. Was this teacher even sane enough to be teaching us this? I at least prayed for my life that she wouldn't have us swallow it...

xxXXxx

Mrs. Strife, our science teacher and school nurse, was apparently married to our coach, Mr. Cloud Strife. He was an average built man that, at first glance, appeared as if he was still in his twenties. He had bright, spiked blonde hair like mine and piercing baby blue eyes that resembled mom's. He was constantly ordering people to stand there, sit over there, throw the ball there, run seven laps...things that I thought mom would do if she was a coach.

"Think...think this is...still a good idea?" I asked Hayner in between breaths while I was on my twenty fourth pushup.

He was panting just as heavily and turned his head to face me as he came back up from the ground. "Are...are you crazy? This is...nothing!"

"At least Mr. Strife is giving you something to do!"

"Yeah...but, he's never gonna give me center position..." He grumbled to the hardwood floor.

"Hey, where exactly _is_ Axel?" I wondered, glancing around the room as a group of some of our new teammates finished their eighth lap around the gym. I didn't spot Axel running with them so I became suspicious.

"Ch, if he's so important to Mr. Strife then he must be lounging out somewhere..."

I was suddenly becoming worried. I saw Demyx passing a basketball back and forth to Marluxia in center court while Mr. Strife timed them with a silver stop watch. I already knew he wasn't mixed with the crowd of runners and he wasn't down here doing pushups. Feeling cold sweat drip from my face to my neck, I stopped myself and stood from the ground.

"Hey, where're you going?" Hayner asked, slowing himself down while he remained staring at the floor.

"I..." I thought for a moment until I came up with an excuse, "I think I might have hurt my arm..." Quickly, I began rubbing the lower muscle in my left arm to try and prove myself right.

"Go tell Mr. Strife you've gotta go to his wife..."

"You mean the nurse," I replied, trying to prevent myself from kicking him in the butt.

He snickered, muttering something I couldn't understand, and went on with his pushups. At this point, I didn't know what in the hell was happening to me. So, at first I hated Axel. I wanted to do nothing but see him suffer. Next, I was completely obsessed over his behavior and ended up losing my thoughts many a time. And now, now I was both _plus_ concerned about his condition. I felt like such a secret admirer...a hopeless secret admirer.

"Hey, uhm, Mr. Strife?" I began as I approached our coach, paying attention to keep my hand on my 'injured' arm.

"Give it a rest for a sec, guys," He called to Demyx and Marluxia before clicking his stopwatch off. I watched as he placed it back over his head then turn to face me, his eyes narrowed and serious.

"Roxas, am I right?" He asked.

"Y-yes..."

"You ok? Hurt your arm?" He pointed out, bending down to further examine me. I stuttered and rubbed my arm once.

"Uhm...I-I think I might have hurt it doing pushups."

"Did you do anything else to it?" He asked skeptically.

Noticing that he sounded unconvinced, I quickly made up a story on the spot. "Y-yeah! See, I was playing pass with my brother on the weekend and I think I pulled it but I sort of ignored the pain."

"Uh-huh." He said, still staring.

"Yeah, and I think that I might have slept on it last night, too." I smiled casually and looked up at him.

With a light sigh, he nodded his head and smirked, which he rarely did. "Alright. Go on to the nurse's office. Tell her to write you up a note for me when you come back, 'kay?"

"Yeah, thanks!" He turned back to order around Demyx and Marluxia while I turned my back to the gym entrance where Hayner had been using the wall beside it to do sit-ups.

Being autumn, and 5:30 in the afternoon, the hallways were pretty much drenched in a deep shade of orange that poured inside from the setting sky outside. I could still feel the heat of summer just barely touching my skin while the coolness of fall seemed to carry it away from an open window and take over to caress my face. I walked on, my scuffed footsteps from my sneakers echoing off the walls. I didn't know where to start looking. For all I knew, he could have been at home playing video games or, to my great disapproval, chatting with Larxene online.

"Sure, be nice to her because she's a girl. Well, for your information, Larxene, he just happens to be a pretty demanding idiot!" I hissed half to myself and half to Axel who I thought was somewhere around me. When no one replied, I continued along the hallway up until I began searching around the nurse's office.

"Huh?" I whispered, noticing that Mrs. Strife's door had been left open a crack. Thinking that I should close it, I walked toward the door with an extended hand...until...

"_And he just keeps calling you things like that..."_

"_Y-yeah..."_

I nearly jumped back at the sound of two separate voices from inside the office and I withdrew my hand from the door. Thinking quickly, I ducked to the wall beside the crack in the door and hoped the people inside hadn't seen nor heard me.

"_What do you think when he calls you those things?"_ I recognized the melodic voice as Mr.s Strife in a heartbeat.

"_I...nothing. I just let him call me anything."_ As for this voice, I pieced out the familiar characteristics in the tone. I was surprised in myself that I had recognized them as Axel. His voice was so unsure right now that, if I knew him well, I wouldn't have been able to tell who he was by voice.

"_Do you believe in what he says?"_

"_Sometimes...other times I just let them slide off."_

With curiosity burning in my body, I steadily turned my head until I could peek through the narrow crack. I remained seated where I was, staring at the two in the dimness of the small doctor's office. Mrs. Strife was seated facing the door with a clipboard and a pencil in her hand while Axel was seated turned away from my eyesight. I bit my lip so hard that I could nearly taste the blood on my tongue. It seemed to be the only way to prevent my mouth from trembling when I saw him.

"_My friends know about that too..."_ He said, still sounding insecure about what he was saying.

"_At least you have people you can talk to. Like me, for example. Or maybe if you talk to Riku once in a while that should be able to help you."_

"_Still...if I talk to Riku, dad might find out someway."_

"_Hmm? How would he?"_

"_I don't know. That's the thing. Dad had this strange habit of finding these things about people and using it against you. I told Riku once before about...about..." _He paused and hesitated to carry on.

I spotted Mrs. Strife scribbling down notes on her clipboard before looking up to face Axel with the same soothed look on her face. _"It's ok. You don't have to tell me what happened. I understand."_

"_Then I think he might go and punish Riku..."_

"_That's just your feeling to protect your younger brother, right?"_

"_I don't know..."_

Punish? Riku? Dad? I blinked and turned away from the door just as she began to ask him more about nonsense I couldn't piece together. Suddenly, I felt a hatred...not to Axel, not to anyone...but myself. If I understood correctly, 'punish' must have been connected to:

_Abuse_

I swallowed and pondered the thought. That would explain the bruises...the one on his cheek and, most noticeable, the one on his right wrist that I thought was still there. I didn't want to skip ahead to conclusions, but, I still felt strongly about my thoughts. I had never met Axel's father...I didn't think I wanted to now.

To think, he was going through all this and all I could do was add to the shit in his life? What a mess...even though I wasn't sure, I still felt guilty.

"_Well, I'm still here and in my real office down the street, you know that, right?"_

"_Yeah, I do."_

"_You're probably late for basketball practice. You've got that big game coming up on Friday, right"_ I heard chairs being dragged across the floor and nearly panicked.

"_Yeah. Mr. Strife made me center position for some reason."_ His voice was drawing closer to the door and I didn't dare peer through the crack again. This was it! He would catch me peeping on his business and for sure I knew he would beat me to the ground. Gathering myself up, I stood and darted for the janitor's closet at the right...too late.

"_Take care, honey."_

"Roxas?"

I shut the closet door and stood still, feeling sweat bead on my forehead again, and began to face him. I was about to speak but when my eyes fell on him, they stood still as if they had hungered to see him for the longest time. Replacing his unruly school uniform was a rather tight black tank top and a pair of silver and black basketball shorts. Two black wrist bands were hugging at both his wrists and I already had a feeling it was to hide his bruise. Oh, god...he had abs. Through the tank top his muscles could clearly be seen through the tight material. I wanted to stop this! But...oh, this couldn't be happening to me!

"H-hey," I replied nervously, trying not to seem like a pervert.

"What were you doing in the closet?"

"Uh...oh, yeah, the coach needed a pump for the basketballs but I can't find one," I lied.

He chuckled and pointed to the door behind me. "And you thought you'd find it in a cleaning closet?"

I tried to block out the laughing but, even I found that pretty funny, even for a made-up story.

"_Don't laugh! No...no!"_ I couldn't help it and began laughing along with him. I couldn't remember the last time I had laughed like this. With Hayner, it was only chuckling. For the rest of the time it was either swearing or fake smiling. I liked this...I wished I could always feel like this instead of always being bottling everything inside me. Yeah...always like this...that probably meant: always with him.

By the time it nearly hurt to laugh anymore, I looked up at him, smiling toward him for the first time in my life. It stayed that way, just staring, unblinking, unmoving. And this time, he wasn't going against my will.

"Think there's enough time to start over?" I finally said, my voice calm and rather sweet.

He eyed my feet for a moment before staring back at me. "It's only the second week of school. We've got three full semesters."

"Why wait?" I asked, "This doesn't feel right anymore..."

"What do you mean?" He replied.

"Well, the fact that I've been a total bastard to you since school started...I mean, I hated you, really."

"I'm still not buying that." He scoffed and shook his head.

"Even right now, I admit to hating you. But, I still think there's a chance that'll pass." I couldn't believe what I was saying...I wasn't even sure if any of it made the slightest bit of sense.

"I'm just too much for you, kid." He said coolly, raising an eyebrow at me.

"It's Roxas," I mumbled.

"I know. Just wanted to see you all pissed off again..."

"You're insane..."

"Only sometimes."

I left him to laugh to himself while I thought about starting things over. Like I said, I still thought about hating him but, after what he must have been going through, this didn't feel right anymore. "Why do you do those things to me?" I asked suddenly, stopping his laughter.

"Roxas, Roxas, Roxas..." He said while ruffling up his hair, "It's just how I treat the new people. Thought we would be friends was all..."

"Strange way of making friends..." I added.

He shrugged and began taking slow steps toward me. I kept still although my heart wouldn't. "No, that's a lie. I don't treat _all_ new people like that."

"Just me, then?" I asked, still unmoving.

"Pretty much."

"But, why?"

He stopped only a foot from me and stared down at my widening eyes. Was it humanly possible to be hypnotized by someone's eyes? I didn't think so...not until now. Teal...now that I think about it, I was growing attached to that color.

"Maybe I just like you." I froze at the mentioning of those very words. Like me? _Like me? _I didn't just hear that...did I? I was probably over exaggerating. Think straight...this isn't the time to lose yourself...

"Don't even think about kissing me..." I suddenly exclaimed, pulling my eyes away from him while I backed into the wall behind me.

"Kiss you? Maybe you're the insane one, Roxas."

"You can't honestly say that you don't remember forcing yourself on me..." My fingers were tingling again. It was almost as if they were desperate to hold onto something, anything. Almost the way my lips were desperate for...something.

"'Course I remember that," He said in a cutesy sort of voice, "I just like treating you special. You should feel pretty lucky."

"_Lucky!"_ I felt so helpless backed into the wall. It felt like being cornered by Rai only...only this time, I wasn't as afraid. That dream...those emotions...they were all controlling me. Feeling the tension rising in my chest, I shut my eyes and pulled in my chin. Don't come near me...don't touch me...

"So, this is truce, eh?"

"What?" I asked weakly, opening my eyes to stare at his hand held out before me.

"You said you wanted to start over, didn't you? Come on, second week of school is better than waiting for summer."

With my lips slightly parted, I stared at his hand, hesitating to raise my own. He really was going soft on me. It took some effort, but, I was able to slip my shaking hand into his own, feeling him hold a firm grasp on me. With my head still slightly lowered, I was able to feel him closing in on me. I was hidden under his shadow, captive by both his hand and his narrowed eyes. I wanted to push him away...stop this whole thing before...before I would have to lose myself to him. Lips were so close to each other...

"Roxas? What the heck are you doing?"

At the sound of Hayner's clearly ticked off voice, I released Axel's hand and both of us turned heads to him panting in the center of the hallway.

"Hayner!" I gasped and pushed away from the wall as his eyes shifted between Axel and me.

"Whatever..." Quickly, he shook his head at both of us and took off running back to the gym. I pointlessly extended a hand out to him as he ran away. "Hayner..."

"Don't worry 'bout it." I stumbled forward when Axel slapped a hand against my back. "He'll get over it."

But how did you expect to get over nearly seeing your best friend about to kiss another guy? I only hoped that Hayner hadn't seen anything...we really were drifting apart...

* * *

**-hits self with plastic chakram-**

**Axie: Hey! Mine! -grabs chakram-  
Me: WAHH! -glomps him and steals it away-  
Axie: xx  
Me: -snuggles him and dreams about akuroku- Ahh...this is heaven...  
Axie: bwahh...xx**

**Hope you read what went on! Tis important y'know? Eee! I'm starting to sound like Rai! -hits self again-**

**_dazed and confused,  
kokoro77 XP_**


	10. Chapter Ten: Bubblegum

**Author's Note: Yes, I have not yet recieved ten reviews for the past chapter yet but...I was too excited today so I typed this up just tonight:P Just goes to show you how I am spending my summer vacation! No sea salt ice cream here! Just type type type! -dances and throws confetti- Yes, the chapter title is awkward but it will all make sense in due time...ahem...now, onto chapter ten! -continues dancing with Axel stuffie- XD**

Chapter Ten: Bubblegum

By the time both Axel and I re-entered the gym, everyone on the team was being forced to run laps for the remaining five minutes of practice. To my surprise, Mr. Strife hadn't been standing in the center of the gym ordering them at the top of his lungs. Instead, he was leaning casually against the wall beside the door I entered through. I gazed up at him as he kept his eyes shut.

"Go on, you've got less than five minutes," He said tonelessly, unmoving.

"Y-yes...sorry." Obediently, I darted toward the line of students with Axel beside me...or so I thought. From over my shoulder I was able to hear, _"Axel, stay behind please,"_ and I came to a squeaked halt just as I began running along side one of my panting teammates. I could see Mr. Strife's lips moving but I wasn't able to catch a single word spoken from neither him nor Axel.

"Roxas! Quit slacking and move your butt!"

From my side, Demyx ran past, lagging behind the runners far ahead of him. Sure, he had a knack with passing, but, he had some work to do with his agility. I ran up beside him with my head turned to the floor. Each time we passed Mr. Strife and Axel, I attempted to eavesdrop on the conversation even though I found it useless.

By the look on Axel's face, it didn't look promising.

My curiousness rose when, at the end of practice, I spotted Demyx and Marluxia crowding around Axel, just outside the locker room, as if concealing a secret. Just as before, I passed by and kept my ears open for any tidbit of info.

"_What do you think'll happen?"_ I was able to hear Demyx whisper in his usual cutesy voice.

After that: nothing. Two things to worry about: What was happening to Axel and what was on Hayner's mind? I didn't want to think about it too much. Mom _did_ always say that education came first...my mind just seemed to knock her voice away. I was too wrapped up with my social life right now.

xxXXxx

RoXas: hey, hayner, what'd you think about practice today?

007ebiltwn: nothing special...

RoXas: the coach seemed pretty iffy at first

007ebil: yeah but whatever

RoXas: i actually saw the coach talking with axel about something

007ebiltwn: so?

RoXas: uh...i think there's a chance he might have been dropped from center...

007ebiltwn: bet he told you that

RoXas: huh?

RoXas: who's he?

RoXas: hellooo?

Roxas: hey! where are you?

_007ebiltwn has logged out_

With a sigh, I leaned back into my chair and uselessly stared at the computer screen. That settled it, he knew something about earlier. Now he probably thought I was friends with Axel. We might have set things straight but that didn't make us friends. He still ticked me off but, I guess I would have to learn to put up with who he was.

After long, impatient minutes flew by on the computer clock, I gave up waiting for Hayner to show up and clicked out of what was probably our record breaking 'shortest online conversation ever' and shut the system down. With the bright screen off, my room fell into darkness. After all, it was already midnight. He could have at least said 'bye'. I pushed away from the desk and flopped onto my bed, waiting for sleep to overtake me.

In a way, I really didn't want sleep to come. With my mind as heavy as it was, sleep didn't seem to be able to squeeze through into my brain. I tried thinking of less important things...like what mom would make for dinner tomorrow. Oh, what was I thinking? Not like I ate it anyway. What about the game on Friday? That seemed logical...no. That just kept me thinking if Axel would hit me with the ball again or even if he would show up to the game. Ok, what about if Pence would be able to talk online tomorrow? He would talk to me straight, right? Ri...great. Online conversation equals thinking about Larxene...

The way I saw things, I hated him, I hated her, I loved him...I wondered if that even made sense. Maybe thinking just wasn't my greatest strength...

xxXXxx

"Mornin', Roxas!" Sora greeted me that morning, a piece of toast in between his lips.

Throwing my backpack onto the table, I groaned and slumped into the seat beside him before banging my head on the table. "Hi..." I muttered to the hard wood surface.

"Couldn't sleep last night?" He asked in between biting his toast.

Lazily, I shook my head. "I think Hayner's pissed off at me..."

"Hmm? What for? Something happen at practice?"

"See, Ax..." I caught myself from telling the truth and reverted to lying. "I sort of hit him with a ball yesterday," I said, peeling my face up from the table to watch him finish off the toast.

"So? Did you apologize?" He asked, standing to put his plate in the kitchen.

"Yeah. 'Course I did." I felt my conscience becoming guilty.

"Then, what reason does he have to be mad at you?" I heard the plate clatter in the sink. "You're probably just letting High School drama get to your head!"

"Maybe..." True, I felt like there was some drama going on. What was weird was that it was happening in an all boys High School. Normally, the dramatic scenes were between girls, AKA: cat fights.

"See? Just try talking to him today and see what happens. Maybe he's feeling the pressure too..." After the daily routine of him ruffling up my hair without me knowing, I stood, pulled my pack on, and plodded along side Sora out the door. Another morning without breakfast...I felt like I could barf.

xxXXxx

I watched Sora walk down the 10th grade hallway with a longing to following after him. What I wouldn't give to have one of my teachers sudden tell me I was advancing a grade! Then I would be pulled away from this mess! Sadly, all I could do was dream about it...like I said, I'm another hopeless dreamer...

"You're lucky, Sora..." I whispered to myself before slipping into the groups of students heading for first period. I had planned to talk to Hayner if we saw him walking to school this morning. But, I hadn't seen him so far. If he was here already, _that _would definitely be a first. Hayner? At school early? What a joke!

I chuckled to myself before something sparked my attention and I stopped in the middle of the hallway traffic.

"_Gross! You sick bastard!"_

"Hayner?" I said, pulling to the side of the hall toward where I heard his voice.

"_Come on, Hayner, let's go! Let's go!"_

"Pence?" My interest was rising at a fast pace by the time I found myself searching for their position.

"_Lemme go, Pence!"_

"Hayner?" I turned the corner to where the familiar dead end came into plain sight. Mouth agape, I stared toward the back wall where Hayner and Pence were standing, both glaring up at a familiar blonde headed boy. I know what you're all thinking: Seifer, right?

"D-Demyx?" I gasped with my voice just as boggled as my head.

"Roxas! Uh..." The staggered teen abruptly spun around to face me and, the second he did, a large, pink bubble burst over his mouth and nose, completely destroying what had appeared to be his bully image.

All eyes turned to me; Demyx, Hayner, Pence, Marluxia, Zexion, and Axel. Marluxia was standing beside Demyx, currently chewing something. Zexion, like every time things like this happened, was leaning into a wall far apart from the action. As for Axel, I found it totally out of his character for him to be copying Zexion's action instead of doing, well, whatever it was that Demyx and Marluxia were doing.

"Roxas!" Pence exclaimed in relief but Hayner elbowed him in the stomach to cut him off.

"What the hell is going on?" I finally asked, not to anyone in particular.

Demyx began peeling the pink goop off his face, but, was failing to brush it all off. "Uh...I...we were..."

"I've got all this shit in my hair because of you! That's what!" Hayner exploded toward Demyx while he pointed to the side of his head I couldn't see.

"Hayner, what're you talking about?" I asked, calming my own voice to calm his.

He vigorously rubbed his forehead with the palm of his hand and shot his eyes toward me, revealing the rage flaring in them. "This! Ok?" As he pointed to the left side of his head, I immediately noticed the bright pink speckled in his dirty blonde hair.

"Ok...ok...I blew a bubble and it sort of got all over his head, ok?" Demyx confessed, finally getting the last bit of gum off the tip of his nose as he turned to speak with me.

"Sort of! Sort of! How do you 'sort of' get gum all over me?" Again, Hayner fumed and went on cursing to his rival.

"It was an accident!" Marluxia retorted, sounding equally pissed as Hayner.

"Accident? Screw that, you know you did that on purpose! Why else would you be laughing about the damn thing!" Seeing my best friend's fists tighten, I already knew what was up ahead.

"Oh, now you're just being retarded!" Marluxia spat.

"Marluxia, quit it!" I heard Axel order from behind teen, his voice sounding so desperate and hurt. I had never heard him like this before...at least not in the time I knew him.

"Marluxia, that's enough!" This time, it was Zexion who seemed to change into a whole different being. I turned my head to him as he pushed away from the wall and placed a slender hand atop Axel's shoulder. His dark eye was widened with anger while Axel's remained pain stricken, almost like he would break.

Just as Marluxia opened his mouth to speak, he shut his mouth and straightened while his face remained stiff and his eyes remained narrowed. "Fine..." He hissed and turned to face Axel and Zexion.

"W-Wait, Marluxia!" I pleaded and shot forward, throwing my backpack to the side.

Right when Hayner's fist neared the back of Marluxia's head, my hand shot forward and pulled it away to which Hayner stared at me in utter shock. Pence, too, appeared dumbstruck and shifted his eyes from me to Hayner and back. I stared back at my best friend, steadying my breathing, and thrust his hand back to him.

"Sorry..." I said quietly but he only shook his head and threatened with an extended finger.

"I knew it...I fucking knew this was it...'"

"What?" I gaped at him, watching the emotion in his eyes fade away.

"Go on. Go and join their little posse. That's all you ever needed, right? Go on a protect 'em!"

"Hayner..." Pence whispered but swallowed his words when Hayner held up his other hand to silence him.

"Hayner, don't be like that!" I exclaimed but it only seemed to be unwanted words to Hayner's ears. Behind me, I heard Marluxia and Zexion whispering garbled nonsense that I didn't dare try and make out. Demyx, on the other hand, stood stone cold beside me, watching us with a blank expression written on his childish face.

"Don't be like that..." I repeated but Hayner simply shook his head again and lowered his finger, thrusting up his middle one before gripping his backpack and storming off.

"Pence...you don't think that...right?"

Pence's eyes lowered and he began drawing shapes in the floor.

"Right?" I asked again.

"Roxas...sorry..." He finally said, solemnly, and silently followed Hayner as the bell resounded in the halls.

I felt so...frayed. This was it. I now had official proof that we were drifted from each other. No more hangouts in the Usual Spot, no more ice cream on the beach or talks about the future atop the Twilight Town Tower. Those memories seemed to fade along with my two best friends. I could have broken into a run at that point. Do as I wanted the very day school began. From that point, I didn't know where I would go. Maybe I would escape to somewhere new. Start a life there and live it however I wanted...I just wanted to feel normal again.

"You ok, Roxas?" Demyx spoke up in a rather comforting sort of voice.

Steadily, I turned to face him and lightly gave a fake smile. "Sort of..."

From behind Demyx's body, I saw Zexion and Marluxia crouched beside an unmoving Axel who had his face buried in his knees while he sat against the wall. Both of their lips were moving but, still, I couldn't piece together what they were whispering to Axel. I had to know...

I reached a hand toward Axel but Demyx quickly grabbed it and shook his head. "He'll be ok in a bit. Just tell the teacher he's late getting to school, ok?"

"But...what about...?"

"Tell them we're just getting our stuff together."

I paused and lowered my hand. My softened eyes stared down at Axel's weak body in a strange longing to do the same. Feeling somewhat responsible, I confidently stared into Demyx's glossy eyes and whispered, "Tell me what's going on..."

"Roxas..."

"Now." I demanded quietly and planted my feet firmly to the ground to give him the message that I wasn't about to leave.

With a quick glance at the three behind him, Demyx gave in and grabbed my arm before dragging me behind a wall that was hidden from their vision. Once there, he leaned closer to me and kept his voice in a whisper that I could barely understand.

"Here's the thing..." He began, "Axel...he's not comfortable around those sorts of scenarios."

"What do you mean?" A asked, my voice trying to match his own level.

"I mean...ever since we met a long while ago, he told us about his behavior...back then, we had to learn how to cope with him being all uneasy about fighting."

"Why? What's wrong?" I was surprised at the sudden rise of concern in my voice.

With another sharp glance over his shoulder, Demyx went on, "When people are yelling at each other, he always has this little feeling in his head that tells him that their mad at him..."

"He's not insane is he?"

He shook his head. "No, no, no, that's not the case. I...he...his dad..."

"Yeah? What about his dad?" I begged for him to continue when he began shifting uneasily; hesitating to say anymore.

"Alright..." He took a deep breath and started up again, "His dad never appreciated anything Axel did. That and, he never appreciated Axel ever since he was born."

I remained quiet and listened with my lips parted.

"Ever since Axel's mom left, Axel's been getting all sorts of yelling and crap from his dad. That's why whenever other people are yelling out of anger, he starts believing that it's his dad showing hatred toward him. And, like I said, he's not crazy. His counselor already checked that."

I could barely believe what I was hearing. Actually, the part about his dad yelling at him wasn't so unbelievable. I had once heard something about 'punish' when he was talking with Mrs. Strife...wait a minute...

"Counselor...are you talking about Mrs. Strife?" I inquired and felt somewhat relieved when Demyx nodded.

"But, his dad doesn't know a thing about the fact that he's been seeing her. If his dad does, Axel thinks that his dad will punish him for telling other people about their situation."

"That's..."

"Inhumane...I know. We all know. Zexion's the one that started up the idea of trying to soothe him whenever he got all emotional."

I pictured Marluxia and Zexion kneeling beside Axel back in the dead end and knew what Demyx was explaining. This was...this wasn't right. I felt like I had to tell someone to end this. Axel didn't deserve that...especially from his own father. But, if I spoke even a word about it, I knew that Axel would be in for instant torture. If his dad had created those bruises...who knew what else he did?

"Thanks..." I whispered and Demyx smiled lightly, his eyes still glossy.

All of us were late for first period and were so close to receiving detention for it. The entire class period, Axel was staring out the window, his eyes blank and unblinking. I wanted to be beside him like his friends had been. I would have at least apologized..._he didn't deserve this_.

xxXXxx

"Roxas! Roxas, over here!" I heard an overexcited yell come from the crowd to my right.

I turned and spotted Olette jumping beside my mom in the mass of waving flags and raised hands. Just as the whistle blew, I waved back to her just in time for her to capture a shot with her camera then darted to the other end of the court, following the basketball being shot back and forth on the court.

For our first game, I was greatly impressed with our score so far: 30 to 12. What was even better was that I had scored four of those points. Playing in this game seemed to pull those past thoughts right out of my head and kept my mind clear for the game. I wished it was always like this.

"Pass it! Marluxia, over here!" I exclaimed and Marluxia tossed the basketball across the court to my waiting hands. I held onto it tightly and began dribbling toward the basket.

"_Over here, over here...go, go!"_ I thought and threw it up once I reached the edge of the basket. One, two...it fell. Frustrated, I watched it fall into the waiting arms of a boy from the other team. Five, four, three, two, one...their team scores.

Demyx was panting to my left and I turned my head to stare at him cursing to himself.

"It's ok," I managed to say, "we're still ahead."

"Yeah...Roxas, it's coming to you!"

In a panic, I turned to a player from the other team running toward me, dribbling the ball at high speed ahead of him. Just as I was about to steal it away, a sudden flash of a recognizable red color flew past and swerved back down the court.

"YEAH!" Demyx whooped, watching him move with ease down the court. "GO AXEL!"

I didn't even bother to follow after Axel as he constantly slipped away from other players with the basketball steadily being dribbled ahead of him. He seemed like such a pro and already looked like a fan favorite by the sudden increase in volume from the crowd. I smirked and my eyes followed him throw the ball up and score another two points for us.

Demyx continued to scream at the top of his lungs and I laughed. I tried to catch sight of Axel running back again through the flood of players but failed to see a thing. In fact, I didn't even remember this many people in the game when it first started...

In suspicion, my smiled faded and I jumped up to see what over the growing crowd. In a split moment, excited cheering was replaced by feared screams and frantic voices. Demyx was lost, I was lost. What was going on? I stared up at the score board and noticed that someone had shut it off. Was this what this whole thing was about?

"_Ladies and Gentleman, please make way for paramedics to get through!"_

"Paramedics? What for?" I asked to myself in a raised voice. Just as I was about to push myself through the swarm, I was held back by an unknown grasp on my shoulder and I gasped. "What!"

"Roxas!"

"R-Riku?" My eyes widened at the tall, silver haired teen staring down at me through his icy blue eyes. I couldn't remember the last time I saw him and wanted to do nothing but ask how he had been. But, by the look in his face, I knew now wasn't the time.

"Roxas! Oh, thank god!" He gasped, his normally smooth, mature voice fading into anxiousness.

"Riku! What...?"

"It's Axel! He's down, he's down!"

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**Waaaaahhh...I have a secret...! -smirks and rolls on floor while eating a pretzel- Thus begins my ebilness of how this chapter ended...-laughs maniacally- at least 10 reviews pwease! then, the secret shall be revealed...-snuggles with Axel stuffie and sleeps- -.-zzZZ**

**_meepish,  
kokoro77_**


	11. Chapter Eleven: Burn My Name

**Author's note: Hello again! thank you very very very very much for the comments everyone! -gives cake to people- :D again, your replies give me the inspiration to continue on with this story which i greatly appreciate. well, once again, i have pieced together yet another chapter! advanced warning that this contains slight fluffiness... :D plus, there's much info mentioned in this chapter! -plays trumpet and feeds popcorn to axel stuffie- here's number eleven! ;P**

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Chapter Eleven: Burn My Name

Step after step, heartbeat after heartbeat, word after word, I thought of nothing but him. Those words: _"He's down, he's down!"_ I didn't want to believe them. I could hear women screaming in the mass of people while others slipped away to protect their children from the stampede. I rejected mom's voice.

_"Roxas! Get out of there! Roxas!" _

Sure, I had heard her, but, I allowed myself to be thrown side to side, left to right. Ignore the bruises; those were nothing. Something else, so suddenly, was scratching at my heart, literally overtaking the pain of the bruises.

Sirens...I could hear them. I didn't want to hear them.

Riku's frantic voice behind me...I could hear him. I didn't want to hear him.

All that mattered was _him_.

After what felt like desperate, breath taking minutes, I was at the center of the crowd's attention with Riku just barely squeezing in beside me. Cameras were flashing and all I could do was feel ashamed toward those people. That even included Olette. I knew she would keep this at the front page by tomorrow...heaven forbid that the title would be tragic.

"Axel!" I heard Riku exclaim and instantly, he darted toward the ground where his older brother lay unmoving on his back, his once bright eyes were shut. I could only stare for now...Riku...I had never seen him like this. Everyone always seemed to be changing.

"Axel! What's wrong? What happened to him?' The silver haired teen asked as two paramedics quickly transported Axel onto a stretcher.

At the sight of the oxygen mask being cupped over his mouth and nose, I blinked and hurried beside Riku to help him up from the floor.

"We won't know till he's under treatment in the hospital..." One replied rather calmly and afterward, both were forcing their way toward the nearest exit.

"Riku..." I whispered, noticing him rub his temple as if in distress.

"Why isn't he here?" He asked under his breath. All I could do was rub his shoulder to assure him that I was still at his side. Still, 'him' struck me curious.

"Come on, we'll follow them." I felt a sudden pull on my body and helplessly dragged my tennis shoes against the gym floor. I kept an eye out for Sora, hoping that if he came that he would be able to slow Riku down. After all, they were best friends. Then again, as Riku dragged me into his car and began reaching top speed behind the wheel, I felt _nothing_, not even Sora would be able to slow him.

Behind the red signal lights of the ambulance, I remained silent yet I wanted to do nothing but scream into a pillow. The nightmare was getting worse every day. Red lights...following them only kept my mind revolved around Axel...

xxXXxx

_"Roxas...Roxas, honey..." _

My head felt so heavy that morning, almost as if I had slept on a rock all night. I pictured staring up at my ceiling, feeling the comforting touch of the summer sun on my face, and seeing mom, once again, standing angrily in my doorway. Instead, I had to feel like this. With a groan, I pulled my head up from my crossed arms with my eyes squinting from the piercing of a white light hovering around me.

"Oh, thank heavens...are you ok, Roxas?"

"Ah..." I rubbed my head, the headache growing worse due to the light, and attempted to bring the face of mom into clear view. "Mom? Y-yeah...I think I'm ok..."

"I should have known better than to let you join basketball...it's too much of a dangerous sport..." With eyes still squinted, I stared down at the small paper cup she had handed to me and accepted it from her, waiting for my eyes to fix themselves before taking a sip of the water.

Basketball...wait! Now I knew! Feeling like a complete simpleton for blurring my mind like that, I stood from the stiff metal chair and faced her as she checked her watch.

"What happened to Axel!" I asked loudly.

"Shh, Roxas...he's fine, he's fine." Gently, she pressed a pink fingernail-painted finger to her lips and shifted her eyes to my right where I hadn't bothered to look. Now that she pointed out something was there, my heart eased. I faced the bed beside me with glossy eyes. Axel was asleep, possibly unconscious, with the oxygen mask still on his face. The white hospital sheets came up to his chest, and, by the looks of the ruffled side, I figured that was where I had fallen asleep.

"What happened to him?" I asked, stopping myself from reaching forward to touch him. By the time I turned around for an answer, mom was gone.

I now saw that Demyx and Riku were in the room, sleeping peacefully by the window under the pouring sunlight. Sora, on the other hand, was sleeping comfortably under a blanket on the leather arm chair against the wall. I stared down at my sleeping area, finding it awkward that I was so much closer to Axel than the others.

After glancing around to make sure that they were truly asleep, I carefully reached forward and stopped when I felt his smooth skin touch the end of my finger tips. I allowed them to rest there before I tenderly laid my hand on his cheek. He didn't stir and went on sleeping, breathing normally as I had prayed for him to be doing last night. I then found myself absently petting his fiery hair, amazed at how soft it was despite its pricked outer appearance.

"Why do you scare me like that?" I whispered, thinking that he would hear me, and went on running my fingers through his silky-to-the-touch locks. I didn't stop until I saw him smile contently through his plastic mask.

"A-Axel...!" I gasped and pulled my hand away from him. I knew right there that I was blushing.

With his eyes still shut, he shifted under the bedding and chuckled halfheartedly. "That you, Roxas?" Came his muffled voice.

I nodded, but, remembering that he had his eyes closed, answered, "It's me."

"Thought so..." After a while, he fluttered his eyes open and stared back at me through narrowed, smoky sea green eyes. I felt embarrassed at the fact that I was looking back at him. No matter what I did, I just couldn't break away. I felt like it was something I wanted to do...something I had to do.

"How're you feeling?" I asked, breaking our wall of silence.

"Not too bad actually," He began, "Just wish I knew what happened."

I shook my head. "Something...I really don't know."

He let out another one of his amused laughs and stared up at the sky blue ceiling. "Something, huh? Did you check the med report?"

"Med report? What are you, some sort of professional?" I crossed my arms and quirked an eyebrow at him.

He only smirked but it quickly faded when he seemed to think about it further. I let him wrap up his thoughts and hoped that I hadn't upset him in anyway. To think, just last week I had wanted to hurt him so badly. Now, now what was happening? Here I was, beside him in the hospital out of the apprehension in my heart.

"It's probably with the nurse...I-I'm just taking a guess," He stuttered and went on staring at the ceiling.

_"This room, did you say?"_

_"Yes, sir. This one right here."_

Through the shut door came a rather cool voice that already revealed to me the age of the man. It matched the way Axel's voice normally sounded but sounded much older. Following it was the cooed voice of a woman, possibly a nurse that was caring for Axel at the time.

The door hinge squeaked which appeared to awaken Riku from sleep after I spotted him draw his head up from the windowsill. Nervously, I peeked over the half opened door and waited while Axel seemed to shrink into his bed.

_"He's right in there. According to his medical sheets, he should be awakening soon."_

Without so much as a 'thank you', the unknown man stepped foot into the room. My eyes directed to the red and white sneaker that slipped around the door. Following the foot was the full body of a fine muscled, middle-aged man. His skin was light tan and his eyes were thin almond shaped. His hair was jet black that was stylized with gel in short spikes. His attire was a black polo shirt that revealed a bit of his muscles from underneath the fabric and a pair of baggy khakis that fell just below his ankles. Around one arm, a black backpack strap hung over his shoulder. His aura felt unpleasing...I could tell by the sharp look in his amethyst pupils when they began surveying the room, not bothering to look at Axel until he had completely overlooked his surroundings.

"Something happen at the basketball game last night?" He asked Axel, his slim eyes narrowing even more.

I turned to Axel when he shook his head, unable to say a thing.

"Uh, d-dad...!" Riku's voice pepped up. My eyes followed him move across the room while he went about fixing his platinum hair. "Dad, uhm..."

"And you would be...?" Their father asked, turning to me. I felt as if I had shrunken under the weight of his devil-like eyes.

"Uh, I...I'm..."

"Dad, this is Roxas. He's the younger brother of Sora..."

"Oh, you're another son of Nozomi's?" He asked, his voice suddenly sounding interested in something. Nozomi was mom's name but I rarely heard anyone mention her name except when her friends came over.

"Y-yes, sir..." I replied, trying to avoid lowering my head. He didn't seem like the man that would allow me to be afraid.

"Alright, so, tell me what went on." He turned to Riku and crossed his arms stubbornly.

"We don't really know...maybe if you ask the nurse..."

"Bet the price for this is another damn over budget sort of thing." With an uncaring scoff, he tossed the backpack onto the counter to his left and he exited the room, leaving me petrified.

"Axel...it's ok," Riku cooed, turning toward his older brother while he lay just as pain stricken as yesterday when Hayner and I fought. "Listen, Roxas..."

"Yeah?" I quickly replied.

"I've gotta be with dad right now to figure out what's up. You stay here with Axel and let me know if anything happens, got it?"

I nodded and sent Riku off to run after his father. My knees felt like they would fail on me, and, as a matter of fact, they did. They suddenly bent all on their own which caused me to slump into the chair I had slept in. Restlessly, I rubbed my head with my thumb, mumbling nonsense to myself.

"He keeps dad away from me, you know."

Hesitantly, I cracked my eyes open again and turned around in my chair. Axel had rid of the mask and had set it aside on the nightstand to the right of the bed. With his arms crossed behind his head, he sighed and ran his eyes around the surface of the speckled ceiling.

"What?" I asked.

"Riku, I mean. He tries to give dad and me some distance...we don't clique very well."

I knew he was lying and wanted to say so much. But, I feared Demyx would be caught under the spotlight if I mentioned how I knew he was being abused. I had to say something...speak up, Roxas...if anytime, now's the time to do it. I took in a deep breath and crossed my arms atop the hospital bed.

"Axel..." I began in a quiet voice.

"Hmm?"

"About your dad...about yesterday...I know more than you think I know."

As he always did, he laughed. "Know? Know what? What's there to...?"

"It's no secret to me, Axel." Instantly I cut him off from laughing and glared up at him. I had to give him the message that now wasn't a laughing matter. How could he laugh when he knew what his dad was doing? How could he laugh when he knew he was going through insanity like this? For once, I wished he would think about himself. No, don't think about it! Say something about it!

"That day we had basketball practice, I went looking for you 'cause you weren't doing routines like the rest of us. You weren't even in the gym."

"Roxas..."

"_And_ when I went looking for you, I ended up overhearing what you and Mrs. Strife were saying in her office."

"Yeah but that..."

"_And_ the fact that you have that bruise on your wrist and that small one on your cheek doesn't tell me you slipped and fell, Axel. It doesn't hide anything."

"There's nothing to hide, Roxas. They're just..."

"No!" Frustrated, I felt like I could slap him just to get him to pay attention. "Ok...here's something..." With my voice lowered again, I tried to keep a calm profile. "When Hayner and I argued, I had Demyx explain to me what was going on with you."

"What're you talking about?" Axel said shortly, turning his head to face me.

"I don't want you getting pissed at him for this, ok? _I _was the one that forced him to tell me why you were so emotional about our fight."

He said nothing.

"He told me that you were seeing Mrs. Strife for counseling. He also told me that your dad was the one that messed up your life ever since you were born. And, he didn't even tell me, but, I already have a feeling that those injuries aren't from natural causes, ok?"

Again, he said nothing.

"Don't you get it? This isn't right! None of it is! You just have to laugh all the time to cover up your pain, right? I bet that's what it..."

"What're you doing here, Roxas...?"

"I...huh? What?" I paused and moved my eyes across his face. His eyes were so soft...he had changed again. Or, perhaps not. Maybe this was really who he was...broken. My own eyes lowered and I waited for him to continue.

"I asked, 'what're you doing here?'"

"Why? You don't think I would show up here because I wanted to watch you die, right?"

"So, you were worried, is that it?"

"W-well...y-yes...yes I was."

His character began to return to his face when my reply escaped my lips. A rather comforting sort of smirk formed on his lips and he nodded once to himself. "That's just like Demyx, huh? To give away secrets like that?"

Surprised at the sudden change in subject, I scratched the side of my head in confusion. "I...guess?"

"Yeah...what he said is true. But, still, you may know all that, but, there's still a lot you don't know about me..."

I swallowed just as I was about to reply. I felt my blush return toward what I had thought about saying. I couldn't...but, it wasn't like anyone else would hear, right? Sora and Demyx were asleep...it felt like just Axel and me. In a way, I liked this. Just us being able to exchange conversation alone with him...I actually felt somewhat _normal_.

"Then...let me know more about you," I mumbled to the bed.

"What?"

"I said I want you to let me know more about you..." This time, the confidence in my voice rose and I built up the nerve to look him square in the eye as I said it.

"You're a pretty smartass kid, you know that, Roxas?"

I scoffed. "Yeah, look who's talking."

"Alright, alright..." He raked a hand through his hair and began to sit himself up although it took some effort. I was a bit uncomfortable with him tossing the mask to the side...I didn't want to go through being overly attentive to him...it was too much drama and pressure to handle.

"Well, guess he already told you about mom, right?"

"Just that she left."

"Yeah. See, she left around when I was two years old. That's why I don't know what she looks like. For all I know, she probably doesn't even exist."

"Kind of like me and my dad...so that probably means you don't have pictures of her, huh?"

He shook his head. "No. Dad pulled them out of the photo albums a few days after she left and tossed them out. At least, that's what he told us. I never believed him anyway..."

"I still can't get over the fact that he abuses you..."

"That's why I'm so used to being in a hospital state..." He stared into his palms as he spoke, "I don't know what I did to make him so...so angry with me..."

"He's not...I mean, you didn't do anything."

"Yeah...that's not what it feels. I always wanted to ask him, but, I might lose an arm because of it. He usually only gives punches..."

"Why? Why would he?"

"That's exactly it...I don't know. Ever since I was five, he threatened me. Never Riku. With Riku, it was only sending him to the corner, stripping away using the computer...with me, it was being locked in my room, locked in the attic...those sort of things." He began rubbing his arm uneasily. By the look on his face, I knew he was returning to the times he was in those positions. I wanted to tell him something...but what?

"That's crazy..." Was all I could say.

"You think? It's kind of funny...when our kindergarten teacher asked us what we wanted to be when we were all grown up, all the kids would say they wanted to be like their 'mommies' and 'daddies'." He swallowed and stared into my eyes. I could almost sense he was on the verge of crying. "I couldn't say that..."

"W-who would?" I replied.

"No one would...he makes me feel like a...like a nobody. Like I'm not important and that I was never meant to live. He tells me that..."

"You shouldn't believe it, Axel..."

"It's not that easy, Roxas...that's why, when I see you, I pretty much think you're the luckiest guy in the world...I'm just some judged teen that people assume is a street punk. A gang member...that's all."

I couldn't take this. Just before school started, I had wished to be part of a gang so I could live a free life. But, seeing Axel made me appreciate where I stood now while at the same time, I wanted to pull him away from it.

"My life's not easy either..." I said.

"You probably only think about homework and fights..."

Without thinking, my fingers trailed over across the white sheets toward Axel's hand. I could have held onto the pillows or curled my hand into a fist to release tension. Instead, it had to be him. Tightly, I shut my eyes and grabbed his hand to which he remained silent toward. The tears were coming...any minute now I would be sobbing...

Soon, I shot up from my chair and clung onto him. Still, he didn't flinch. Not a word. My arm wrapped faintly around his neck while I kept his head close to my own. My heartbeat quickened and I had to release faint gasps to prevent from crying.

"I'm sorry..." I cooed before pulling away to stare down at him again. I had been driven to do something completely out of my head...I hadn't even stopped to think about embracing him...it felt right to do it even so. The wisps of air from the air conditioning blew across his face, sending a few loose strands of his hair to the side. We were staring like this again...and again, again I didn't want to look away.

"Roxas..." He finally spoke up.

"Uhm...yeah?" I asked, sounding slightly mystified.

"You see that backpack my dad left on the counter?"

I faced the limp pack that lay messily across the sink and nodded.

"My dad has a lighter in there that he uses for lighting cigarettes. Think you can get that and a pen?"

Puzzled, I nodded once and quietly made way to the pack to retrieve the silver lighter and a nearly out of ink ballpoint pen from the side pocket. As asked, I brought them over to him just as he pulled a white business card from his back pocket that I recognized.

"You're not gonna burn the place down, right?" I asked as he took the pen and began doodling something on the back of the card.

He laughed to himself and capped the pen. When he was done, a rather sloppy stick figure had been scribbled on one half of the card while the name 'Arson' was written in purposely lopsided letters.

"Arson?" I handed the lighter to him and he showed me the card.

"Dad's name. Pretty weird, huh?" Slowly, he flicked the cap open and a mini flame sparked from inside. He held the flame under the card, letting it barely touch the paper. "Watch this..." Quickly, he thrust the tiny flame up, and, in a flash, a small fire spread across the paper and transformed it into a pile of ashes into Axel's waiting hand. I just stared at the black powder drift momentarily in the air before gathering together into a useless pile of soot. As to why Axel had done that, my mind wasn't able to grasp the reason. Like a lost child on the street, he sat still, staring gloomily into the palm of his hand.

"Axel?" I asked quietly, realizing that he had nearly frozen in time.

A soft smile appeared on his face. I liked the way he looked when that happened. At least I knew he was content...at least I knew he wasn't lost. "It's a little something I do when I wanna release some emotions..."

"Burn stuff?" I sat myself on the side of the bed and barely took notice that my hand fell beside his.

"Exactly. See, if I don't feel so great about a person, I just scribble their name all sloppy and whatnot and draw a stick person of them on a piece of paper. After that, well, I burn it." He brushed the tip of his finger in the ashes in his hand and began drawing nonsense.

"I see..." I, myself, smiled and gave off a tiny laugh. "Maybe I should try it sometime, huh?"

"Guess you should." Suddenly, he brushed the ashes away onto the floor and sighed before staring back at me.

I thought of what he had just done and why that paper seemed so familiar to me. A white business card...apparently, Axel didn't need it. Duh, he had just turned the thing into dirt. I had this feeling that it was something I, too, would have wanted to burn. With a deep breath, I felt comfortable enough to ask.

"Was that, by any chance, the card that Larxene gave you?" I nearly shrunk back when he quirked an eyebrow at me. Maybe I shouldn't have mentioned anything...thinking _and_ talking didn't seem like my strong points in life.

After a short pause, Axel began laughing to himself in a tone of amusement. "You've been spying on me, haven't you, Roxas?"

I felt a blush dance on my cheeks and I nervously searched for something to say. "N-no! I-I wasn't...!"

"How else would you know about Larxene?"

Feeling defeated, I lowered my head and nodded once. "Ok...I wasn't spying though. I was just in the same place at the same time."

"Yeah, sure." He reached forward and roughly tangled up my hair. "Ok, I admit. I didn't feel that Larxene was right...I dunno. She had this freakish persona that made me twitch."

"So, you burned up her instant messenger?" I asked, my voice sounding rather entertained.

"Yup...just like that...just don't make it obvious to dad, got it? If he finds out I've been using his lighter, he'll kick my ass."

Just as I nodded to him, the sound of the doorknob to the room being fiddled around with chimed in my ear. To cover up, I stood and Axel hesitated to hide the cigarette lighter and the pen under his pillow.

"Roxas? Everything ok in there?"

Relieved to hear Riku's voice, my breathing rested and Axel stopped ruffling up the sheets.

"Good. Dad's gone to take care of expenses..."

"Oh, really?" Axel inquired rather doubtfully.

No sooner had he answered did Riku step into the room, pressing his back firmly against the heavy door while crossing his arms over his yellow tank-top.

Riku, as recently discovered, was said to be Axel's twin yet he was younger by a few minutes. Neither of them shared any identical features which made me skeptical if they were even related. Riku had thin, sliver hair that fell below his shoulders while Axel's was flaming crimson and low spiked. Riku's eyes were sharp aqua. Axel's were mesmerizing aquamarine. In a way, I felt that they were no where close to being twins. Still, I took Sora's word for it and only let the thought cross my mind a couple of times.

"It took some effort, though," Riku sighed.

"It always does," Axel replied, returning the same disappointment as his brother.

"So, what'd the nurse say? Everything's ok with him?" I suddenly chirruped, hoping both that I would end their depression and that the news wasn't the death toll.

"Oh, they said he should be ready to get outta here once he feels about right. Report says that he just collapsed from exhaustion."

I let out a relieved sigh and smiled confidently over my shoulder at Axel. _"Exhausted...that's all he was..."_

"Still, they recommended that you get at least a few more hours of sleep before heading out. That's all up to you," Riku added as he pushed away from the doorway, smiling which I found comforting.

A few more hours barely covered it. As it turned out, as soon as Riku left the room again, Axel refused to fall asleep, saying that he would get out of the place right there and then. All we had to do, was wait for Sora and Demyx to wake up.

Around 5 in the afternoon, the sun was already beginning to set outside, blanketing the cool town in an orange haze. Demyx and Sora had woken up a few hours earlier and had met with Marluxia and Zexion in the lobby. Sora, when he came back to the room, said that they had received the call about Axel's condition that morning. I found it weird that they even bothered to talk to Sora...

Zexion brought a battered sketch diary with him when he entered the room. It was held under his arm and appeared to attract Axel's attention the moment he saw it. It wasn't until later that I realized just how important it was.

xxXXxx

"Roxas, come on. Let's go," Mom called across the hallway, a light brown jacket around her arm and a roasting cup of espresso in her hand.

I turned to face her and called back, "Lemme just get my shoes in the room, 'kay?"

"Don't take too long! We've still got shopping to do tomorrow morning!" Quickly, she turned and pushed Sora down the hallway toward where the lobby exit was. At the very mentioning of 'shopping' I groaned and darted down the hallway back to where Axel's room was located.

To my surprise, Zexion, Marluxia, and Demyx had remained in the room, all three of them sleeping soundly. Demyx and Marluxia had spread out two futons on the floor while Zexion slept on the armchair, the same seriousness written on his face. Through the faint orange light in the room, I quietly walked past Marluxia and Demyx and bent over to replace my huge hospital slippers with my worn-out tennis shoes.

With that done, I turned, only to freeze where I was after gazing down at Axel, eyes shut and body in an unconscious state.

"And he said he would leave...pft, yeah, right." I lightly shook my head to myself. Strangely, I found myself obsessing over the thought if he was really breathing. Ok, his chest was moving, that was a good sign. Wait, his injuries? What if they were acting up on him? No, no, he seemed fine...he's fine...just a look.

Shaking slightly, I turned my eyes toward the door then back to Axel when I was assured that no one would enter the room. Step after step, I wondered if I should really be doing this...

After what felt like several minutes, I stood, my sapphire pupils widened at the very sight of his face. When awake, he was this completely opposite person...bad boy and swift talker. Asleep, he was nothing but an empty other...empty as in a shattered teen that wanting nothing more than to be treated correctly...to be loved by someone. The bruise that had once been barely visible on his cheek was now gone though I still envisioned it there...I didn't want to. Poor thing...he told me so much...trusted me with his heart...

Eventually, my eyes gazed over to the tattered sketchbook that was held loosely atop his stomach. Curious, I carefully pulled his fingers away from the metal binding and slipped it into my own hands. Most of the front pages that I flipped through held nothing but photographs of familiar places of Twilight Town while others were photos of Axel himself, appearing younger: possibly around two years of age. I recognized some of the handwriting underneath as Riku's attempted cursive while an extremely professional cursive writing was printed around the border of each picture.

_'I hope you remember this.' _

_'I always kept this one beside me 24/7.__' _

_'I wish I could have come to your birthday...' _

One of the last messages, written a bit shakily on a black and white photo of Axel sticking his tongue out at two, was, _'I love you' _

The picture was torn down the middle, leaving the rest of the photo a piece of an unknown puzzle. Turning the next page, I expected more photos, but, a drawing caught my eye instead.

A head drawing of a young teen...spiky, unruly hair, wide, innocent eyes...a perfect drawing of _me_.

Mouth agape, I stared down at the sketch, amazed at how the artist had captured the detail. Beside the drawing was a striking, curvy graffiti style drawing that wrote: _Roxas_.

"Axel..." I gasped and lowered the notebook to stare at Axel's sleeping body. Whenever something bad happened...he'd draw and burn it. He'd write the name and burn it. My name...my drawing...together in the sketchbook.

My arms suddenly felt weak. I had to place the book back atop the bed, fearing that if I didn't that it would fall to the floor. "My god..." I whispered. The tears were coming again but, all I could do was smile and touch his cheek just as before.

A time slowly flew by, I bent down, just close enough for our heads to touch. "You wouldn't burn my name..." Gently, I leaned forward and lightly pressed my lips on his forehead. I didn't know why I had to turn to doing this...out of all things, I had to kiss him. His skin was warm and so soft.

"You wouldn't burn my name...not me...why, Axel? Why me?"

Why me...why us?

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**Ahh, feel the fluffness? i was in a very akuroku cuddleness while i wrote this :D do not worry though! fluff leads to well...does fluff relate to citrus fruits in anyway? O.o -shrugs and chews on a piece of cake- at least 10 reviews pweas? currently on progress with next chapter! -snuggles axel stuffie yet again- :P**

**_fluff n stuff,  
kokoro77_**


	12. Chapter Twelve: 7 minutes in Heavenpt1

**Author's note: Well, remember back then when peple would play the weirdest games at parties? I do:D The thought of '7 minutes in Heaven' just came to mind a while back. :P I assume you know the rules? XD Well, here is P****art I!**

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Chapter Twelve: 7 minutes in Heaven Part I

Ever since school started again on Monday, I still couldn't take my mind off so many things. I wanted to be able to think about them all at once and be able to answer all my questions so easily. No matter what, that could never be a possibility.

The fact was Hayner was still pissed off at me. The minute I entered History class that morning, and on time this time, he did nothing but send a glare my way. Pence, on the other hand, at least had the humanity left in him to say 'good morning' as I walked past.

Mrs. Lockhart, of course, was her same chipper self when we were ready to begin the lesson. As usual, I wasn't near interested in learning about the geography of this and the birthday of so-and-so. Instead, I doodled on my notebook. Axel seemed to return to his old self again, exchanging gossip and whatnot between Marluxia. I figured he would have at least been a bit upset. Or he would have at least noticed that I had been staring at him all class period. He didn't have his sketchbook with him today. Maybe he had thrown it into his fireplace for all I knew.

That couldn't be right...he had drawn a nearly perfect sketch of me with my name written all neat beside it. His dad's, on the other hand, had been drawn and written like a kindergarten piece of artwork. He wouldn't burn mine, right?

xxXXxx

"Uh, hey, Roxas..."

I looked up from the cafeteria floor and turned to where I heard Pence's voice. He seemed calm and, by the way he twiddled his fingers, a bit apologetic. Hayner had walked ahead, passing me as if I was nothing more than a ghost. I sighed and tried to ignore it.

"Don't worry about him," Pence began, "he's just acting all annoyed 'cause he doesn't know how to apologize to you."

I found that a bit hard to believe. "Did he tell you that?"

"Well, no. But, he said that he might have gone a little over the edge."

"A little?" I scoffed and pushed away from the wall. "Pence, didn't you see the look on his face? All Demyx did was burst a bubble into his hair. At least he could have shrugged it off!"

By the look on Pence's face, I knew that something wasn't right. He casually gazed over at the floor and hung his head. "He probably got the wrong message from you."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, it wasn't an accident, what Demyx did. He and his friend with the pink hair tricked us into going into that dead end by asking what score we got on our math test. After that, well, Demyx just started going off."

Demyx never seemed like the superior image of a bully. I couldn't even imagine seeing him coming to school one day with a doo-rag on his head and a tattoo on his face or something. I laughed when I saw it but remembered that Pence was still there and shook my head.

"Then he should have told me..."

He sighed and nudged my shoulder playfully. "He'll get over it eventually. Sorry for ditching you that day, Roxas."

I rolled my eyes and nudged him back, nearly sending him colliding with a passerby. "It's not your fault..."

With a wide smile, Pence rubbed the back of his head and stared down the line where Hayner was standing. "Hey, didn't you visit Axel yesterday?" He suddenly asked.

"Uh...well...uhm, yeah," I stuttered, glancing around the crowded room for no particular reason.

"How's he doing? Got any death related disease or something?"

"Pence!" I exclaimed, wanting to punch him in the stomach, "What the hell is wrong with you?"

He laughed and shook his head. "Just kidding! You know I wouldn't want something like that to happen; even to the freakiest guy here in school."

'Freakiest guy in school'? Exactly what made him so freaky? Oh...wait. I had once thought that about him before. Truth was, I didn't know exactly what it was that had made me so ticked off at him.

Pence left me a little while later after Hayner called for him at the end of the line. I let him go, watching the two argue over who would take the last jello tray. My stomach turned. I wasn't going to eat today. Even if it was ramen, I had to turn it down this once.

xxXXxx

Days went by; weeks even. What little trees there were in Twilight Town had started going bare and began cluttering the brick stone streets in leaves of orange and brown. Sora, to mom's and my surprise, had actually gotten a high grade in a math test: C+. Ok, so it wasn't _high_, high but it was high enough for him to be proud of.

Mom's soap opera was getting to its climax by the time we entered October. I often saw her huddled on the couch, either bawling her eyes out or yelling at the top of her lungs.

"Adam, you jerk! You don't, ugh, my goodness! Rodney, stay away from him!"

Everyday it was the same deal: Adam this, Rodney that.

Olette's papers stayed the same: gang info and latest information on the beaten up t-shirt. The fact that she hadn't posted anything on the basketball game shocked me, considering the fact that she was one of the crazed people taking pictures at the game. Nope. Nothing on Axel on the front page. I was relieved about that.

"So, Roxas, you going to the Halloween party this Saturday?" Olette asked sweetly while walking with me back from school.

I looked over to her as she began skipping beside me. "Party? I didn't hear anything about a party."

"Oh, really?" She asked, walking straight again. "Our whole school keeps talking about it. It's the one party of the year that Twilight Town All Boys High School and Sunset Hill All Girls High School are able to get together. You know, like a night dance sort of thing!" She giggled, reminding me of the way Larxene had that one day, and tucked a strand of her light brunette hair behind her ear.

"Why? Halloween's not until two weeks from now."

"They usually have the party early 'cause most people prefer trick-or-treating on the actual Halloween night. Plus, the Friday before the party, you get to wear your costume to school! You should go!" I found it awkward when she teasingly tugged at my sleeve. With my eyes widened I stared down at her as if she had been replaced with a different human being.

"Are you drunk?"

Angrily, she pursed her lips and crossed her arms. Nope, the same old Olette!

"Ooo, you're just like Hayner and Pence when I asked them! I can't help it if I'm excited to go!"

"Are they going?"

"Of course they are! They've already started costume shopping. I'm going as a black cat like last year."

Oh, yeah, I remembered that outfit. Last year, all four of us stayed out until near midnight to stock up on sour gumballs and chocolate kisses. I still had a bucket full of the candy in our kitchen somewhere. Pence had gone as a vampire, Olette had gone as a black cat, I had gone as a dead student with a plastic sword in my back and Hayner went as: a fairy. Yes, a fairy. Complete with wand and pastel butterfly wings.

Why? Why not? We always had this dare every Halloween. Whoever lost to a coin toss had to be dressed in whatever costume the winner picked. That year, I won and chose a nice little outfit for Hayner to wear. I had to admit that the blue eye shadow looked nice on him.

"So? Think you can make it? It's at 8:00 at night on Saturday."

I blinked and faced her again. "What would I go as?"

"Don't tell me that you and Hayner's little fight is going to get in the way of your yearly dare?" She asked stubbornly.

"Come on, Olette, he's obviously not in the mood to go through that this year." Already, I began ascending the steps to my house, leaving her to glare up at me with her hands pressed firmly on her hips.

"You guys will have to settle it somehow. It's been your tradition since you were both seven years old!"

"I know, I know," I sighed, sticking the gold key into the lock.

"Then do something about it! I don't want to put up with you missing out on this party, Roxas!"

"Alright, alright! I'll see what I can do! Gosh, you're starting to sound like mom..." I laughed when she called out: _"Say that again, Roxas! Go on! I dare you!"_ and shut the door.

"Man, never changes, does she?" I whispered to myself and, when I turned, shut myself up at the sight of four pairs of eyes shifting toward me. Well, this was surprising...

"Getting home late lately, aren't you, Roxas?"

"Uhm...maybe," I replied slowly to Hayner who was the first to speak up. Pence remained silent. "What're you two doing here?"

When Hayner kept shut, Pence roughly elbowed him to force him to speak up.

I chuckled and nearly failed at trying to keep a straight face.

"What he's trying to say is..." Pence started out, moving his hands slowly for Hayner to continue. "Is...?"

"We're..."

"Yes?" I asked.

"We...ugh! JustosayI'msorry!'

"Sorry? Didn't hear that." I smiled wickedly as I watched Hayner rub his forehead in embarrassment.

"I said...I..."

"Get on with it, Hayner! I wanna go costume shopping _at least_ sometime this week!"

I crossed my arms and smirked. Hayner kept his head lowered and went about messing up his hair. I always knew that Hayner was a pretender. Ever since we were kids, he hated having to say 'I'm sorry' in front of other people or to the person he was saying sorry to for that matter. All he did was mumble it once, twice, sometimes three times before he would heat over. At that point, he just blurted it out! Any second now...I knew it. His cheeks were tinting red.

"So this is what this whole visit is about? Costume shopping?" I asked slyly.

"No! Well, not really...see, it doesn't make any sense if we're fighting like this so...so, ugh, look, I'm...I'm sorry, ok! I'm sorry!" With a frustrated groan, he slumped forward and began whispering nonsense to the hard wood floor.

Pitying him, I sighed heavily and walked up to a distressed Hayner with that amused little smile still on my face. "You just gotta learn to let me in on everything, got it?" I demanded, slapping a hand firmly on one of his slumped shoulders.

He let out a chuckle and eventually looked up at both Pence and I. "Sorry, Roxas."

With our usual boy-ish secret hand shake, the whole ordeal was over. Pence was already more that excited that we would be able to hang out together again. By the time it was sealed, he dashed to the kitchen and began popping popcorn. It was what we did whenever us guys were hanging out. Ice cream in the summer, popcorn in the fall, chocolate in the winter, and potato chips in the spring. Beats me why it ended up that way. I sort of thought that it was just the way destiny wanted it to be.

"Alright, so," Pence began, scarfing down the last of his hand full of popcorn he grabbed from the white bowl, "now that we've got that covered...how's about we keep that old tradition of yours goin', eh?"

Hayner looked up from the game of tic-tac-toe that he and I had been playing and set the pen down. "You mean the costume thing?"

"Oh, yeah. Olette was bugging me about it just a while back."

"Yeah, we sorta heard her from outside."

We all laughed.

"So? Feeling up to it?" Eeriely, Pence reached into his back pocket and retrieved a small money piece that had already started to lose its shine. Unlike what you readers are accustomed to, our money isn't like a flat coin piece. I never understood why it had to be designed to be round, rainbow colored and glossy like a crystal.

I sighed and turned to Hayner who turned to me. "Alright. We'll go for it. But don't cry when you lose, alright Hayner?"

He scoffed and slammed his arms atop the coffee table in a challenging sort of mood. Knowing Hayner, he couldn't afford to lose. It was always, 'do over!' or, 'it wasn't flipped right!'

"I pick the yellow side this time," Hayner said.

"Alright, I've got dibs on blue." I felt confident about this...Hayner was so gonna lose! Already I began planning out his outfit. Princess or one of those baby ladybug outfits?

"Go on! Flip it, Pence!" Hayner said rather assertively.

At the end countdown from 3, Pence tossed the dull money into the air while we all watched it twirl aimlessly in the air. Blue! No, no, stay there! Not yellow! Blue, yes! Stay there!

"And the winner is..." Pence reached his hands out and caught the crystal money in his hands with ease. He cupped his hands over each other and slowly parted his fingers. "It's..."

_YELLOW?_

"Hah! Yes! I won! You lose, R-o-x-a-s!" Hayner annoyingly began pointing his fingers in my face while mentioning over and over in a sing song voice that I had lost. I lost, I lost!

I felt a bead of sweat slip down my cheek and I gulped. This wasn't good...maybe if I made a run for it we wouldn't have to...? No, I _never_ backed away from a dare...nuh-uh.

By the time Hayner and Pence's faces straightened, _sort of_, they both shifted their devious eyes to me...I didn't like the looks of it and could only smile weakly. Under the coffee table, my hands were trembling beyond my control and I was bouncing my crossed leg rapidly.

"You'll like this one, Roxas," Hayner said, failing to hide his positive-ness, "Really, I'm gonna go easy on you!"

Yeah right! Easy? Nothing was ever easy! I hoped it wasn't too extreme like a showgirl...that would be just plain wrong. With my fingers crossed, I begged in my head that the costume Hayner was standing up to get was decent. What made things worse was that we were in an all boys High School! If I wore something really out of the ordinary, I'd be the laughing stock of the entire town through my graduation from High School!

"Try this on and see if it's your size, Roxas. You'll need it for Friday and Saturday anyway." While Hayner and Pence snickered behind the lifted costume, my eyes went blank and my throat became dry.

"_Dad...can I join you being dead for a few days?"_

xxXXxx

Remember when I said that everything happens of Fridays? Well, _everything happens on Fridays...! _Why is it that everything that happens of Friday has to happen to me? None of them are good news for me! I had that feeling like I wanted to crawl into a dark corner and stay there all through Sunday. At least I would be able to miss the Halloween party at the principle's house! But, no...like I said, I never turn down a dare...why? Why was I so stubborn?

"Everything fitting right, Roxas?" Hayner asked that morning in an adorable yet annoying voice. He was clothed in a black devil outfit; complete with extra long and pointed tail, horns, wide wings, plastic fangs and a mini pitchfork dabbed with fake blood.

"Yeah? Everything alright, miss?" Pence nearly choked on his laughter from behind his long, black outfit. He was dressed as the typical Scream that always freaked Namine and Kairi beyond reason...now that I think about it, I liked the sound of that. Plus, he had the rushing fake blood on his white mask. That would definitely be able to pull the master prank on them.

Me? Oh, you really don't want to know about me...

As they gently pushed at my back, past the fountain and up the stairs, I kept my head revolved around my revealed skin. Shit...I could already hear people laughing from inside.

"_R-Roxas? Is that you?"_

"_What in the heck are you wearing?"_

"_Lose a bet or what?"_

"Something like that..." I grumbled and walked through the strange crowd of students that were separating just to let me through. Just shrug it off, Roxas. Cool down. It's not working!

"Sorry, Roxas. A dare's a dare. It _is_ tradition, ya know," Hayner said calmly behind me and gently pushed at the back of my shoulder.

"Yeah...tradition..." I replied sarcastically. Some tradition. For god's sake, I was dressed in a uniform! No, not _our _school's uniform..._Sunset Hill All Girls High School's uniform_. Hayner had taken his mom's old uniform from her closet and made some slight adjustments for me to wear it. The skirt was a plaid pattern of sky blue and white. The thing was that skirts back then were shorter than they are now.

Hayner loosened up the thin polo shirt to better hug to my body and had even pressed the spiffy tie that matched the exact style as the skirt. I had to wear a pair of black school shoes that were way too tight on my feet and a pair of navy blue socks that pulled up to the bottom of my knees. Yeah, just _spiffy_. At least I could keep my hair style the way it usually was...problem was that people would know who I was because of it.

"_Yo, Ro...Ro-x-as?"_

That voice! No, no! Not you! Hayner and Pence had left for a while to get their stuff from their lockers and left me to stick out like a sore thumb in the hallways. Nervously, I darted my head away in the opposite direction and shifted my uncomfortable feet on the tile below me. I was blushing again...great.

"Roxas? Whoa! What're you wearing?"

With another familiar voice closing in on me, and already mentioning my name, I knew I couldn't hide myself any longer and slowly turned to face my spotters. Demyx was standing over me, his baby-like eyes widened and mouth barely parted. Marluxia, Zexion, and, to my great embarrassment, Axel were standing just as shocked as Demyx around my puny self. They were all dressed up as devils, like Hayner. Zexion, in my opinion, played the part quite well considering that he already held that mystified characteristic.

"It's...it was a dare, ok?" I replied, my face pink and depressed.

"Dare? And you went and actually took the dare?" Marluxia asked with his mouth agape.

"That took guts," Axel brought up and smirked down at me. I glanced over into his eyes and pursed my lips. While the others in his group were standing astonished, he seemed rather impressed..._pleased_. The heat in my body intensified. The way he was looking right at me...was my skirt too short? Was my tie lopsided? What?

"I approve..." He chuckled and quickly winked at me before all of them walked off to first period. He had this habit of winking, staring, speaking...flat out existing. I had to ask him so many things about who he was and about what he was thinking. I left the embarrassing thoughts of my costume to drift. If it made Axel look at me like that...if he would do that all day...maybe this outfit wasn't _so_ bad.

xxXXxx

The fact that the party on Saturday was being held in the principle's house was definitely out of the ordinary. Was the school planning on spying on our behavior or what? Even so, Hayner thought it would be a new experience to look forward to instead of the normal parties and dances in the gyms. We ended up leaving, Hayner, Pence and me, my house around 7:00 that night.

"_If you come back later than 11:00 I'll send the cops to go get you!"_ Mom called as we shut the door behind us. I shook my head and we all began following a mass of teenagers all walking in the same direction. It had already grown dark which made me feel more comfortable about what I was wearing. At least no one would see me clearly.

To everyone's surprise, the principle owned a huge mansion just on the outskirts of town. No, it wasn't that one that had almost been burned but it was somewhere near there. All of us waited outside the metal gate before we were allowed inside. By the time we reached the front door to the massive house, we were told to only stay in the basement up until the time we had to leave.

"Think they'll torture us down there?" Hayner asked in a raised voice over the crowd.

"Dunno!" I replied while we began descending a flight of stairs once inside the main greeting room. All around the pale white walls were paintings of meaningless shapes and colors. The royal atmosphere died away when we stepped foot into the slightly dimmed basement. Now, it felt more like a club more than anything.

All around us were shadows, dancing to the beat of the strobe lights and music pounding off the walls. Each time the lights struck a wall, I was able to catch sight of some people's faces but they were immediately lost in a split second. Like being drifted out to sea, Hayner, Pence and I wandered through the swarm, helplessly calling out for Olette to see if she was around.

"Maybe she's over by that table over there!" Hayner yelled out, his voice barely recognizable through the beating speakers. I spotted him pointing toward a side wall in front of us that constantly had colors flashing on its surface.

"What would she...?"

"Pence! Hayner! Where'd you go!" Confused, I pushed through the unknown bodies and attempted to follow where I had last seen the two wandering off to. Great, just great. Being in this outfit was bad enough! Uselessly, I stood still in the waves of bodies, just keeping my arms crossed and head straight forward. I knew coming to parties was a bad idea. I always ended up only seeing tons of things I didn't want to see. Know what I mean?

"Ugh, those guys owe me big for ditching me _and_ making me wear this stupid..."

"_Roxas! Whoa, hey, watch it! Roxas!"_

"_Roxas! Not here! Not here!"_

Those distance voices were somehow able to spark my attention and I began gazing over my surroundings, suddenly feeling like I had drifted to a completely different area even though I had been standing still. In annoyance, I bent down to pull up my left knee sock and pulled back up, only to be smashed into with Pence's back.

"Ow! Hey! Pence! Watch it!" I yelled, rubbing my cheek where I had been struck.

"Huh? Gah! There you are!" Abruptly, he shot his arms forward and grabbed my arms.

My heart jumped and I tried to pull away. "What the...?"

I felt him shake me vigorously while yelling 'we have to get out of here!' at the top of his lungs.

"What? Why? We just..."

"Pence! Did you find him?" Hayner's voice came from a closer range this time although I could tell he was drifting this way and that.

"Got him! What now?"

"Would you tell me what's going on?" I screeched, yanking my arms away from him, trying to give him the message that I wasn't about to go anywhere.

"Roxas, it's Namine!"

"What about her?" I asked.

"Hayner and I saw her at the punch table. She asked us if we would ask you if you would play a game with her friends and her!"

"G-Game?" I blurted, my body going into panic. "What kind of game?"

"You-you've heard of _7 minutes in Heaven_, right?" Pence replied, his voice stuttering while I saw his shadow searching around.

"W-What!" I threw my hands out in front of me and felt sweat running down my face.

"See? No more asking stuff! You've gotta hide somewhere!" This time, I went cooperatively with him and ran recklessly in between dancing groups and couples in between their own _personal_ businesses. "Uh...uhm...here! Go in here!"

The closet? Out of all places...it had to be the closet? In disbelief, I stared at the dark door in the corner of the large room, my body twitching. "Pence? This is the closet..."

"So?" He replied, already pulling the door open wide enough for me to slip through.

I stayed put and shook my head lightly. "Hello...7 minutes in Heaven is played _in_ the closet! What if she...?"

"Just risk it!" Without bothering for me to finish, Pence reached forward and grabbed my wrist. Before I could even retort to him, he had flung me into the small darkness where the music outside was barely muted out. I panted heavily in the dark, feeling trapped and at a loss of words.

"Wha...why...?" I murmured to myself in between gasps for air. I could feel the light tickle of sweaters and coats behind me and nearly jumped. Not a sound, Roxas. With a heaved sigh, I figured there was nothing left to do but wait. Lazily, and disappointedly, I walked over to the right wall in the secluded closet and leaned against it.

"So much for a ..."

"_Ow! Watch it!"_

When my foot kicked at what I thought was a pile of boxes in front of me, I slightly jumped back, pressing my back hard against the wall. Though I couldn't see through the shadows, the flash of a small bright teal color in front of me brought something into mind.

"A-Axel...?"

* * *

**ahem, the rules are simple! the next chapter will tell the simpleness of it all...:D -glomps pillow and falls asleep- goodnighties! don't forget, did you get your daily dosage of akuroku love today? axie says: at least10 more reviews! me: now axie, what do we say? axie: oh, at least 10 more reviews, _please. _me: that's better...:D axie: ...or i will engulf you all in fire! me: -.- he needs more training...**

**_aku love,  
kokoro77 :D_**


	13. Chapter Thirteen: 7 minutes in Heavenpt2

**Author's note: nyahhh...-collapses- aku...roku...must...keep...writing...-sleeps- zz**

Chapter Thirteen: 7 Minutes in Heaven Part II

"A-Axel? Is that you?" This was beyond uncomfortable. Being trapped in a dark, squished space with Axel? I didn't think that was ever possible. Then again, there was the library...it might not have been so compact but the way he was near me made the environment change that way. There's just something about him.

My heart began pounding violently in my chest when I was able to follow his shadow moving in the darkness. What was I doing here? Get the hell out of here, now! No matter how much my mind thought that, my feet remained planted to the closet floor while my eyes remained petrified. My body wasn't responding.

"So, you recognize my voice?" He asked, the vividness in his eyes blazing wildly.

"Uh...uhm..." Nervously, I pressed my back harder against the wall and the thought of my Halloween costume flooded my mind. My skirt! It was way to short...ok, maybe if I pulled it down? There...no! Dammit!

I already hated the fact that Hayner's mom had to have her skirt so skimpy! Wait, what was I worrying about? It's dark...he wouldn't see. He wouldn't even bother to pay attention. Just breathe, Roxas. Breathe. Think of something to say.

When the closet fell silent, I became anxious and hastily spoke up. "Uh, uhm, s-so, what're you doing in the closet anyway?" I asked, my voice shaking while I showed a goofy sort of smile.

He chuckled coolly, and, by what I was able to feel in the tight space, changed his position. Oh, god...his leg...it brushed against mine. I twitched and swallowed. I had to tell myself my number one rule over and over: don't be stupid, don't be stupid.

"Haven't you ever put on a devil costume before?"

I quirked an eyebrow and replied, "W-what?" rather shakily. Please don't tell me he noticed my tone of voice.

"See, Demyx got us all those fake vampire teeth to use with the outfits..." He paused and it sounded like he had just spat something out. I nearly gagged at the sound of it. "Can you believe they don't have bathrooms down here? I had to fix these damn things so this closet was the nearest place t' do that."

I sighed. "Oh, I see." So it was just a costume flaw...thank goodness. If he had it fixed, he'd just leave...then why wasn't he? I wanted to ask but figured it would have been a rude thing to say. Oh, so now I was concerned about his feelings...what was I saying? Of course I was. I recently discovered that in the hospital.

"Why's it so dark in here?" He suddenly asked, bringing me back from my moment of thoughts.

I opened my mouth to respond but stopped myself when I felt his leg again. Was he doing this on purpose? With my eyes still wide and my lips tightly pressed together, I waited impatiently for him to stop. I couldn't take this anymore...I had to get out of here. Even if Namine found me, I'd leave the party before she would be able to stop me. That sounded...stupid.

While he went about fumbling around, I felt my patience growing short. "Axel," I began in a tempered voice, "what-the-heck-are-you-doing!"

"Hmm? Ah...oh! There it is!"

"What? What're you...ah!" The sudden piercing of a dull, orange light, rushed into my eyes, giving me the feeling of pins and needles. I squinted, barely able to see anything but blue and red bubbles floating amongst the orange light. "Ow..." I complained, rubbing my left eye with the back of my hand.

"There, that's better," Axel said cheerfully, also sounding unaffected at all by the light. Maybe I was just caught in the dark for too long and the sight of light pained me. Part of me wanted to remain this way: blurred of vision. That way, I wouldn't be forced to stare up at him. As usual, body won over mind and my vision was steadily being restored.

"You could have at least _warned_ me before turning the light on," I grumbled.

"Silly, Roxas. It's called 'surprise'." This time when he laughed, I caught a difference in the way it came out..._seductiveness_. I shook my head and ignored it. Above my head was a long, gold chain that was connected to a bare light bulb on the spackled ceiling. I followed its movement...swaying back and forth, back and forth.

"S-surprise, huh?" I barely recognized my voice when it came out sounding like I was desperate for air. Back and forth...

"So, you never told me why _you_ ended up in here."

"It's...it's this girl. Her name's Namine..." I replied, not really understanding why I had even mentioned anything. My eyes were just fixated on that chain...

"Namine, huh?" I didn't even realize that we were so close...that we were centimeters away from touching. A distinctive scent was tingling my sense of smell. Yeah, hadn't Riku and Sora tried this on before? I never liked it...always a strong blend of burning fire and hot metal. Never before...always now. My eyes were becoming heavy. My head felt light and dizzy.

"Y-yeah...she-she wanted to..."

"Hey, you okay, Roxas? You don't look too hot."

Suddenly, I blinked at the sound of what he had just said. Concern? About me? This didn't sound normal. This didn't _feel_ normal. Tingling with curiosity, my narrowed, azure eyes fell from the ceiling to Axel. I was right...we were close. He was literally like a giant towering over me. Either that or I was too out of my mind. I was probably just losing all perspective on my surroundings.

"I-I'm fine...just tired I guess."

"Doesn't look that way t' me. Something on your mind?" Closer...

"No. Nothing..."

"Look at you. It's like you're gonna collapse." Closer...

"I told you, I'm...o...k..." This was it. I knew that, any second now, I would fall. I was going to pass out at any moment. His cologne was so dizzying. Please, just let me pass out now. I don't want to go through this...!

Of course, no one could read minds. Not even Axel. Like any human beings, he had to act these ways no matter how much I didn't want him to. He just _had_ to come _closer_ and touch my face. He just _had_ to be so _different_...like a maze. I barely felt his thumb on my chin. What I did feel was my head being tilted upward. What I did feel was the pressure and _pleasure _of gazing into his immoral eyes.

I just kept my back against the wall. So overpowering...

"She wanted to play that game, right?" He said slyly, devouring me with his stare.

"H-how...? Ah..." That warmness again...slipping so gently against my neck...

"7 Minutes in Heaven...poor Namine was all alone. I figured she would be happy to be next to you."

"You...you told her!" I gasped helplessly.

Another fragment of _seductiveness_ to his laugh. "You know the rules to that game? 7 Minutes in Heaven, I mean."

"'Course I...I mean..."

"Ah, ah, ah, no lying!"

I gathered up my voice and tried furrowing my eyebrows at him. Hopefully he would think I was pissed and would back off. "No. I don't." Bad move.

His long, slender fingers carefully ran down my neck and loosely curled around my tie. More than ever, I regretted wearing this outfit. I regretted following this dare. Why did he have to be like this? Why did I have to be like this? I remained with my head tilted up toward the ceiling. Who are you, Roxas? This isn't like you...please, listen to your head for once...

"Roxas..."Axel's voice was so soft...so _close_. It wasn't often that I heard him speaking this way...I liked it. _I liked it..._a lot. "I don't want to hurt you anymore," He whispered as I felt his shadow loom over me.

"Hurt me...?" It was like he was stealing my ability to breathe. All my words felt like nonsense being spilled out for him to hear. I had to control myself. If I said the wrong thing...what would happen if I said the wrong thing? What would happen if I made the wrong sort of noise? I had a feeling I would soon discover everything.

I heard a high pitched beep just beside me and barely parted my lips to speak. "What...?"

"You said you don't know the rules, right?" He asked gently. At this point I could just barely feel the smooth surface of his lips touching my parted ones. I kept my eyes on a close watch over his face. He was...cute. _Really cute_. Looking into his eyes almost sent my body into a limp state of being. Not like I would pass out. It was more like I would just slip into...something...something beyond my control.

I didn't respond.

"7 minutes," He started, "I'll teach you this time."

At the very mentioning of the name of the game, I bit my lower lip to make sure he wouldn't get close. I just shook my head at him. What was I thinking? This guy...he wasn't a tame animal. Nothing...nothing would stop him. I _had_ to give up.

"I promise...I won't hurt you, Roxas. _I swear..._" That same beeping noise rang cheerfully in our secret hideaway. This was it. Three...two...one. His eyes were shut. Mine were simply left to watch him _kiss me_. Only this time, he was gentle. I could feel the wetness of his tongue caress my bottom lip. Stubbornly, I refused to part.

"Mmm...I..." In between another tongue brush I tried to speak. It was harder than I thought it would be.

"...A-xel...!" No sooner had my mouth formed to speak his name did he have the upper hand. Instantly, he forced entry, delving deep and occasionally touching my own tongue. There was no chance that I would be able to speak now. I left my tongue limp, still hesitating to move, fearing that if I did that Axel would just lose himself. This was hard...my nails scratched at the wallpaper behind me. My lips were damp and trembling. Shyly, I tried to play along but drew back. Easy, Roxas...easy.

He must have caught my moment of blank mentality and increased speed, bringing his fingers into the game. His hands wrapped around my thin waist, closing the gap between our bodies. I was now pressed hard again with the wall and he was pressed hard against me. His heart was quickening in beat with my own from what I could faintly feel under his chest. I was desperate to dominate him just to see what he would do. He continued to touch my lower body...my hips, below my naval..._in between the legs_.

"Nnh, n-no...!" I hissed, tilting my head further up while he trailed up my cheek. He ignored me and continued rubbing my leg just below the pleats in my skirt. His scent was arousing...the tingle of him gently blowing in my ear sent chills down my spine and on my legs. He remained persistent and even slid his leg against me. That's when it hit me...god, no, not there! Not...there!

He was moving under with his fingers just barely grazing the bumps on my legs. He was actually inching up my skirt. Oh, damn, it felt hot in here...

I could taste blood on my mouth when I bit down with my teeth. I didn't want to look down. My lower body suddenly became extremely uncomfortable.

"No...god, not there!" I gasped as sweat rushed down my face and neck. Still, his fingers moved under my skirt, and, tough I couldn't see what was happening, I knew it wasn't going to be good for me. I was going to lose it...!

He slipped out from underneath me and pulled his head back to stare at me directly. It was the first time he was actually panting. The pushing of his chest as he breathed was nearly crushing my heated body. This was over...say it's over. The timer didn't signal. As to if that was good or not, I didn't know.

For Axel, it was obviously more than good. I carefully followed the movement of his eyes as they stared down at my stomach then to my skirt. He looked so desperate...the way his hand massaged my stomach made _me_ feel desperate. Something was longing to escape my throat...I wasn't about to let it. He pressed harder until I could feel his finger tips kneading at my muscles. Lower...lower...there didn't seem to be an end to his desire. I heard the zipper being pulled. I felt the small piece of fabric being carelessly pulled away.

Not a sound, Roxas. Not a sound...

He slipped his fingers deep under the skirt..._under my briefs_. The heat was edging to the point of insanity. My hair was all flopped because of the sweat. That's when...

"N-not there...don't...!" It wasn't of any use to say anything. Axel simply squeezed harder. Not a sound...not a...too late.

With my eyes narrowed to the orange glow above us, I forced a passionate groan. I arched my back and grabbed the bit of his wrist that was still visible. No, I didn't push him away. I pushed him to go on. He squeezed tighter. I groaned louder and longer out of utter desire.

"That's it, Roxas..." He spoke for the first time with sin curved around his words. _I loved it. _To my slight dismay, he pulled away, leaving the zipper undone. That same, blazing teal shot up toward my dripping wet face. A cream colored liquid was slowly slipping down the tips of his middle and index finger by the time he lifted them to his lips. I eagerly watched him lick it off right in front of me. A thin smile formed on his lips when he had finished it off.

"Ah..." I gasped for air in the sauna like room. It wasn't fair...he had taken me over again. _Again_.

_Beep_

_Beep_

_Beep_

Panting, Axel stared down and shut the noise off. The music pounding outside our secret spot just barely made way into my ears. The very lyrics and beat matched with our actions. Had that really been 7 minutes? It felt way longer than that...he actually told the truth...he didn't hurt me. He...pleasured me.

With a short laugh, he carefully pushed away from my chest and stared down at a blue sports watch that he loosely held in his hand. I slumped into the wall and eyed him greedily. He, too, was sweating and appeared out of breath. It was the first time I had seen him so weak. I was surprised he was even able to stand. I was surprised that I was able to stand. The devil horns atop his head stuck to his personality. His light skin...his crimson hair...he really was cute.

"Looks like this is over," He said shortly after tucking the watch away in his back pocket.

I went on panting and just stared.

"Hope you learned something from this." Without looking back at me, he turned toward the door and pushed it halfway open. The coolness rushed into the closet and ran past my red cheeks. I didn't want that...I still wanted that friction against my body. In one desperate move, I gathered up what energy I had left to bolt my arm out toward what I felt was my possession.

"N-no..." I hissed restlessly.

Strangely, no one seemed to pay any attention that the closet had suddenly opened. That didn't matter now. What people thought didn't matter. What matter was that I still wanted him. I wasn't about to let him leave my sight...not now. Not ever. Tightly, I clung to his wrist, completely forgetting about his bruise. He flinched slightly and glanced over his shoulder at me. Now his face had returned to softness...the way I wanted it to be.

"Roxas?" He asked, slipping his hand away from the doorknob.

I felt so tired with my wet back slumped on the wall. I didn't know why it was that I was able to even hold him back. I guessed that my craving was allowing this strength to momentarily control me. My eyes were becoming glossy like I would begin sobbing if he left.

"No," I repeated.

I still had him. Quietly, the door shut and he turned back toward me. His eyes observed my body. It was so obvious and, to tell you the truth, I was flattered. As if to ask, 'are you sure' through his eyes, he inched toward me again.

I didn't hesitate to eye him back with a '_yes_'. This time, there was to time limit. No game. This was the real deal. When he forced himself toward me, the light bulb flickered and left us together in the cool embrace of darkness. We still had a couple of hours left...

* * *

**-wakes up- oz eh? oh, hellow ppl! -stands up- yes, that was a lousy smut. .. i'm sorry for the extra day wait. i've been working on a drawing for this story that i hope i can post up soon as the story's picture. and once i master drawing, i shall start up on a doujinshi based on this story! -dances- that might take a while...Oo plus, disney has these cursed copyright rules! -runs up to disneyland and glares at it- OO oh well! i still love disney stuff! whee! is it possible to have at least 10 more reviews please? thank you very muchly! -sleeps again- zz so...tired...**

**_dancing in circles with roxas and axelin my dreams,  
kokoro77_**


	14. Chapter Fourteen: Cuts and Bruises

**Author's Note: So sorry for posting late! waaaahhh! -bangs head on keyboard- i was too caught up in drawing for a day then on saturday we had friends over until 1 AM so I didn't have time to type up this chapter! we were too busy singing kareoke and playing battleship and ddr that i didn't have enough time! i apologize for the wait and hope that you can forgive my mindlessness... Dx **

Chapter Fourteen: Cuts and Bruises

Mom told me the curfew was 11:00. The thing was that the party didn't end until midnight. For what felt like several hours, curfews didn't matter to me. In fact, a lot of things didn't matter to me for the remainder of the night. During that time in darkness, I didn't dare try to think straight.

I didn't hold back anymore like I constantly told myself. I let it all flow through my body. He was the more dominant; occasionally crushing our bodies together and sending me into euphoria the way he whispered nonsense in my ear.

By the time we finally slowed, I was able to become slightly clearer in the head. Why was it that neither Hayner nor Pence even bothered to come back for me? I figured they guessed I wouldn't be able to tolerate being in a mass for people while in a miniskirt. Or maybe they just forgot about me completely. Actually, I was glad they didn't come back. If they did, well, that would be the end of me.

I knew I was too young for this. But things were happening all too fast for me. Like I said before, _I had to give up_. Now I knew that this was who I really was. This was why I never really cared much for crushing on girls like Namine or Olette. Sure, I knew girls existed, but, that's really all they ever were: _there_.

We left in separate directions, acting as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. Hayner caught up with me just as I stepped out into the front lawn. When he asked about my messy hair, I just told him I was bored in the closet and fell asleep. He didn't have to know. No body had to know...but strangely, _everyone knew_.

xxXXxx

_"Roxas." _

He was there again...standing so far away with that same spark in his eye. It was like being trapped in a place of painless death the way the walls appeared to emit a white light. Nothing but absolute silence. Why are you looking at me like that? The words were so distant...just like him.

_"Why are you thinking of me?" _

I could barely recognize his face without that smirk drawn on his lips. I could see his body with the black standing out against the light. You're different.

_"Is that why?" _

Maybe...why do you have to do this to me?

_"It's just how destiny works out, right?" _

Destiny?

_"Don't tell me that destiny scares you too."_

Maybe it does...maybe it always has. Still, there's nothing I or anybody can do to change it.

_"You know, you're different, too, Roxas."_

I don't even know Roxas now...I keep thinking I do, but...

_"You'll find him."_

When this nightmare is over, then I'll find him...hopefully.

_"Well, you're not afraid now, are you?" _

I...no.

_"You've just been telling yourself this was all a bad dream. None of it was and none of it is." _

None of it is?

_"You'll see. When you take the time to think about it, you'll figure it out." _

"Roxas, it's late, get up!"

Gradually, the white began to fade along with the voices and people. In a way, I wished it wouldn't. The minute my eyes met with the ceiling above me, I thought that maybe the school year hadn't even started yet. It was like the day before summer ended when mom woke me up with her usual hot-headed voice. A dream...it was only a dream...even though it felt so real.

"This is what happens when the two of you come home past curfew."

I shifted on my bed and turned to see mom standing in my doorway again. Normally, I would have smiled. Instead, I had to just look at her with nothing to say.

"Go and wake up your brother, Roxas," She said before strolling back down the hallway. It was a Saturday and still we had to wake up on a schedule.

Sora and I didn't meet up until after the party just as I approached the front door. Like me, he seemed tired yet shaken at the same time. Even when we in the house, he said nothing and just stared at his feet. I wanted to ask him but he shut his door in my face.

"Sora," I said while knocking on his door, "Sora, mom wants you up, _now_."

With a groan, I fiddled around with the doorknob until I heard a faint click. Sora's door was always busted. Even when he locked it, with a few turns, it would pop open. I pushed the door open and peered around the door to see him sitting up on the edge of his bed while rubbing his head.

"Something bugging you?" I asked while walking over to his bed. Unlike my room, his was a bit cleaner. He just had this habit of leaving dirty clothes in a pile on the floor before washing them at the end of the week.

He shook his head and sighed. "No."

"Something from the party?"

"No," He grumbled and stood up. I knew he was lying even so. But I figured that if I insisted that he would bite my head off so I just let him storm out like he wanted.

I shook my head and followed him. "Sure...you'll tell me, I know it."

xxXXxx

Like most of our weekends, they had to be wasted on shopping. Mom insisted that we buy knew t-shirts and shoes for the winter. What was weird was that when we passed the video game aisle, Sora turned away. After taking a few seconds to stare down at the racks of video games, I came up with the idea that he was having some sort of fight with Riku. Riku was casually walking in our direction with his hands shoved in his pockets but he began to turn away when his eyes shot towards us.

Was everyone becoming depressed or what?

On Sunday, Hayner planned a get together for the four of us to head over to the station tower just to hangout. Olette didn't go because she needed to work on her paper article. From what she told us, she was able to gather more rumors about the drugs and about the scene in the back alley. I worried about her sometimes, thinking that she was snooping around a bit too much. Pence said it wasn't like she was going to get killed because of her writing.

Yeah, that made me feel a whole lot better.

Monday eventually came around...

"Doesn't Sora usually walk to school with you in the morning, Roxas?" Pence asked that morning while we kept a distance behind Sora.

I blinked and turned my head to face him. "What're you going on about?"

He shrugged. "I dunno. I just have this feeling that you guys are avoiding each other or something."

I scoffed and concentrated on walking. "Quit thinking things like that. He's just in a bad mood is all."

"What ever you say..." He replied as we entered the hallway. All at once, students began shoving this way and that while hissing cusses at one another. Maybe the drinks at the party were messing with everyone's head.

_"Did you see the front page?" _

_"It's all over!" _

_"Wait, that's not...holy..." _

"Wonder what's gotten into these people?" Pence hastily dodged a few students rushing in our walkway and nearly stumbled over when he bumped into someone's back. I tried to follow directly behind him but the mix of similar uniforms was overwhelming. Not only the uniforms, but the few sheets of grey newspaper in everyone's hand failed to help me distinguish so-and-so from what's-his-name. Wait, newspaper? This was new.

Suddenly interested in what was occurring, I joined in on the shoving and made an effort to see what was ahead of me. Pence was already lost and I assumed that he already figured out what was going on which got me frustrated.

_"Wait a sec, that's him, isn't it?"_

_"Yeah...hey, Roxas! Roxas!"_

_"It's not real, right? It's fake picture?" _

I froze at the mentioning of a picture. But why ask me? This didn't have to do with me...

"What picture?" I asked an older student I never met before.

He said nothing and hesitantly walked away with his friends crowding nervously around him. Like everyone else, they each held dirty newsprint in their hands. Sadly, I couldn't catch a glimpse of the front page from what seemed to capture everyone's attention.

"What picture?" I repeated to myself and broke into a run.

Finally, I reached what looked like the place where the papers were being taken from. Each of the students was gossiping amongst themselves rather noisily...that is, until I showed my face in the mob. I ignored the sudden drop in volume and took advantage of the path made for me. Something was definitely up and I didn't like the feel of it.

"Ah! Roxas!" A quivered voice spoke up from in front of me.

"Vivi?" I asked, staring as he pulled his mage's hat tightly over his amber eyes. He was standing in front of the bulletin board where the latest news was posted with a stack of newspapers beside him. I eyed the papers suspiciously.

"R-Roxas...uhm, uh...oh no..."

"Vivi, what's going on here?" I asked sternly to which he twitched violently.

"Just...I'm...oh! It wasn't my idea!" Feebly, he threw himself on the floor and went on shivering.

"Idea?" I asked slowly.

"Y-yeah...Seifer _made_ _me_ do it! I had to! I just had to!"

"Seifer? What did...?" Again, I brought my eyes to the stack of papers but this time I wasn't so sure I wanted to take one. I could hear scattered voices around me and caught my name mentioned in every sentence.

"It's...here..." Like a lost puppy, Vivi stared up at me through smooth eyes and offered a paper to my waiting hands. After taking in a deep breath, I brought it to eye level to read...my heart skipped a beat right then and there.

_This week's top story: What you DIDN'T know about Saturday night: top pic features... _

There, being held right before me was the so called 'fake picture'. Of course, I knew it wasn't fake. But how...? The photo was stripped of color and a majority of it was shrouded in darkness. But, near the dead center was the slightest bit of light.

Standing in the spotlight was Axel's darkened body just as he opened the closet door wide open. I could be seen standing behind him with my back pressed against the wall and with my skirt zipper unfastened. The very expression on my face gave the impression that _something_ went on. The expression on my face now was probably giving everyone the impression that this was real.

"Wha...how...what is...?"

"Seifer made me take the picture! He threatened to hit me if I didn't!' Vivi whimpered, throwing himself on the floor again.

I gaped at him, petrified and stone still. My blood went cold and my voice fell silent. Everything...everything that happened was now exploited for people to see. I wouldn't be surprised if Seifer had them posted all around town by now. If I lied about it never happening, I knew no one would believe me. It was too late to try and cover myself up. Ok, it was real. That's all I had to say. Then, I'd let people laugh...then I'd probably take the next train to Hallow Bastion. Why did I have to meet you? Why did I have to love you, Axel?

"Break it up, people! Go on! Get the heck outta here and go to class for god's sake! GO! Geez, this is a school not a crime scene!"

"Hayner...?" I whispered though nobody could hear me. They had all began speaking again...about me, that was for sure. Vivi tiptoed away to join them before waddling off out of sight.

"Roxas...Roxas, you ok, man?" Hayner placed a hand on my shoulder and shook me a couple of times.

"I..."

"Don't let it get to your head, Roxas," He said boldly, "Don't listen to what those posers have to say."

"I wish I could..." I said in a low voice. He ignored it and pushed me down the hall toward History class, repeatedly throwing nasty glares at those who stared at me. I knew this was it...I just wanted to die. I wondered how Axel was taking this...

xxXXxx

"Alright, class, take out whatever you jot down notes and...oh! Roxas!"

"Sorry I'm late...again, Mrs. Lockhart," I said tonelessly without looking up at her. She doubtlessly knew about the paper too. Hayner patted my shoulder and sat me down in an empty seat right beside him.

"Thank you for finding him, Hayner."

"No, problem."

"Well, Roxas just take out your notes and follow along, ok?" She said sweetly and turned towards the board with chalk in hand. Obviously she wouldn't mention anything about it now. Maybe she never would. All I knew was that my reputation around here was shattered.

I knew people were throwing some glances at me. I just let them. I wasn't in the mood to pick a fight right now. Axel seemed that way too. In his typical seat by the window, he sat unmoving, not even bothering to pay attention to the class. For once, Zexion didn't take interest in the session and instead kept a close watch on Axel and me.

"Oh, right!" Mrs. Lockhart's sudden shout out caused all of us to nearly jump from our seats. She gently placed the stub of chalk in the metal holder and turned toward her desk. "I've got those tests you all took the other day right here."

She pulled several sheets of paper from a folder and began walking up and down the rows, passing them out left and right. I wasn't surprised that I had received a C-. For one thing, I didn't take notes and for another, I rarely paid attention to what was taught. At least it was better than an F. I folded it over and turned to Hayner who slammed his head on his desk after getting his usual D.

''

Axel nervously stared at his paper from what I could see just as Hayner slumped forward. I could just barely make out a black 'D-' that seeped through to the back of the paper. A D- wasn't so bad...but why was it that he looked so disturbed? I was concerned again...the way his fingers trailed over to his right wrist brought a painful image to mind. That couldn't be true...

xxXXxx

"A 'D-'..."

"It's...not that bad, is it?" I said, trying to sound assuring.

"For me it is..." Axel stared at the paper in his hand and quickly averted his eyes. I watched him stuff it messily into the back pocket of his messenger bag before sighing.

I had this feeling that I should steer away from the test. But even if I wanted to talk about the newspaper, he most likely would want to keep away from that conversation too. When school got out, I had been walking by myself before he caught up with me when the crowds started to die down. I figured it was because he didn't want any rumors of us walking together to spread.

I stared down at my new school shoes and bit the inside of my cheek, not knowing what to say.

"You're not...mad...are you?" He suddenly brought up.

"Huh? About what?" I replied.

He paused to think and finally started again. "About the _thing_. You know, the picture."

"Oh...that thing. Well, at Seifer, yeah."

"Not at me?"

"Axel..."

"Just tell me!" He demanded. He wasn't harsh at least.

I recalled what Demyx had said about his fear of people getting mad. I pictured it as sort of a phobia and immediately went soft. "No, not you." I replied and stared up as the sun was beginning to set just ahead of us.

I rarely walked this way to get home...I actually thought about coming this way more often. The houses seemed smaller on this street but at least it was calmer than my own neighborhood. Up ahead, a narrow street ran up a hill to where I could barely catch sight of the tip of the station tower. I smiled weakly and turned to face Axel who still looked wrapped up about his grade.

"I should probably think about moving to this street sometime."

He pulled his head up and looked at me with widened eyes. "Why here? Your place is way bigger than these houses."

"So? At least it's more peaceful around here. You should feel pretty lucky."

He smiled back at me and came to slow stop in front of a one story house to his right. Like mine, it was a light cream color with an orange tinted roof. A low, black, metal fence wrapped around the front lawn that was currently lacking in green. The windows were covered with paper blinds from the inside and, just beside the doormat was a case full of green, empty beer bottles.

"Your place?" I asked, still staring up at the house.

He didn't answer and clutched onto his book bag. His smiled disappeared and was replaced with a troubled expression. The way his eyes scanned the ground gave me this feeling that he was at a loss of what to do.

"Uhm, Axel? Are you ok?" I asked gently.

"It's fine...I-I'll see you tomorrow, 'kay?" Without another word, he turned on his heel and made way through the squeaky gate and up to the door. It seemed to take him a while before he was able to grasp the door handle and slip inside.

"Don't worry about it..." I said to myself and began to walk down the cooled street. Even though I said it, I still thought about it. Something was wrong...not everything happened on Fridays.

xxXXxx

"Hey, Roxas!" Demyx called out to me the next morning.

I finished my yawn and faced him just as he leaned over a desk beside me to catch his breath. "Morning, Demyx," I said.

"Did...did A-Axel...come here with you...?" He panted.

I laid my pencil down on the desk and replied, "No...why?"

While he continued to gasp for air, I became skeptical and scanned the desks for Axel. One empty desk was in the center of the room. He was probably just late...that didn't sound right. He was always early for school.

Demyx pulled up from the desk and stared up at the ceiling. "Oh, man..." He whispered to himself.

"Huh? Demyx? What...?"

_"Morning, class!"_

Mrs. Strife cheerfully stepped into the room and carefully shut the door behind her. Like always, she wore her doctor's coat over another one of her flowing hippie skirts. Her hair was pulled back in a braided pony tail while a pair of thin glasses was atop her nose. My classmates often made jokes that the reason she was late was because she was busy kissing our basketball coach.

Demyx clumsily sat behind the desk beside me and began bouncing his leg uneasily.

"Right," Mrs. Strife began, "let's start role call..." She flipped to the back sheet on her clipboard and clicked her pen open. "Okay...Axel?"

Nothing.

"Oh, that's peculiar...he's not here." She blinked in surprise and marked something on her paper. Being his counselor, she was probably just as worried as Demyx and his other friends seemed to be.

With role call over, Mrs. Strife turned toward the board and began jotting down today's lesson. I noticed Marluxia tap Demyx on the shoulder and kept my ears open for any tidbit of what he was whispering but to no avail. Demyx nodded and shot his hand up while I caught his other reaching for something in his backpack.

"Uh, Mrs. Strife?" He asked amiably.

"Hmm? Yes, Demyx?" She returned while stopping her writing.

"I...I'm not feeling all too great."

"Oh? Do you need to head over to the office for something? The other nurse can help you if you need it."

He nodded and quickly pulled what looked like a cell phone from the backpacks side pocket. "Maybe I can call my parents from there?"

"Alright. Just have them write down a note to let me know you were there, ok?"

"Got it." Swiftly, he slipped out from behind the desk and shoved the phone into his pocket and out of sight. Marluxia and Zexion eagerly watched him exit the room while I did the same. I just had to be so curious...but I had to know. With a deep breath, I steadily raised my hand.

"Mrs. Strife?"

"Yes, Roxas?" She replied, turning away from her work again.

"Uhm...can I go to the bathroom?" I said quickly, not wanting to steal the pretend act of being sick.

"Be quick, ok? This lesson is important."

"Yes, ma'am." I stood and began walking through my row. As I passed Zexion, I heard, 'in the bathroom', being whispered and I nodded. Zexion knew what I was feeling. He was almost like a parent figure to their group and I respected him for that.

Quietly, I shut the door behind me and shifted my eyes around to make sure no one was around to see me. Assured that everything was clear, I ran toward the bathroom where Zexion told me to go.

Demyx's hushed voice could be heard from behind the wall when I pressed my ear against the bathroom door. I kept my breathing down to a minimum to avoid being caught eavesdropping. He sounded desperate and I could hear his shoes scuffing around on the tile.

_"Axel, it's me. I had to sneak out of class just to call you up and check if you were ok. Uhm...Marx and Zexion are back in the room waiting on you. Just call back or pick up the phone, ok? We're all on pins and needles over here, man. Call back..."_

He groaned and shut the phone. _"No...he's not answering..."_ There was a short pause before the phone flipped open again and I heard him punch in the number again.

While he left another message, I stared up at the ceiling in disbelief. I didn't want to skip to conclusions but my heart just wouldn't let me stop feeling like this. So this wasn't a nightmare? That was too hard to believe.

Where are you Axel?

* * *

**Erm, yes, well, ehehe...another bad place to leave off. ;.; i'm very tired at the moment so i'm afraid i have to leave you with this. well, an advanced warning for readers, this friday, being august 4, i will be visiting the great king mickey in his proud kingdom. yes, i will be in his happiest place on earth for about a week and, during that time, i will not be able to post updates so this story will be on temp hiatus for about a week. i'm so sorry! but, this writer really needs a vacation to visit the relatives of kingdom hearts characters:( i hope you can understand! again, this will start on friday, august 4 so i will still update until that date.**

**anywho, 10 more reviews please! thank you and i appreciate those of you that have reviewed! i'll be sure to find a way to thank you soon enough!**

**_axel luv,  
kokoro77 :D_**


	15. Chapter Fifteen: Mockingbird

**Author's Note: Well, hellow again:) As promised, I leave you all with an updated chapter before I go to pay my deep respects to the honorable King Mickey! XD hehe, well, i hope that you won't be mad that this is where i leave you for a while. i'll be sure to update as normal the very day i get back! -waves axel and roxas stuffies- :D**

Chapter Fifteen: Mockingbird

I barely got a wink of sleep that night. Heck, I barely got any sleep _days_ after that. That's right: _days_. I didn't think it would last this long. I ended up memorizing where every single glow-in-the-dark star was on my ceiling.

"Ok...that one's...over here..." I mumbled to myself with my eyes closed. I slowly opened them and stared in the direction my finger was pointed in. Yup, that star was there...as usual.

After that, well, I'd try sleeping. By the time 4:00 struck on my clock, I'd give up. It seemed like I was giving up on a lot of things lately. But I knew for sure, I wasn't going to give up on waiting; even if it took years. Sometimes, closing my eyes brought back images from weeks ago. My face was so stiff and my voice was so irritated...I wondered what he'd hide from me when I looked at him that way. I tried imagining his face, hoping that somehow, he'd hear what I was thinking.

_Then we would be able to talk...at least talk_

Who was I kidding? It wasn't like I had the sixth sense...for some reason, I still felt like he could hear me. I wanted him to. I wanted him to know that I was waiting. And if he was hurting, I wanted him to know that I would always be there. Roxas, that sounds beyond cheesy.

After hours of thinking, I'd bury my face in my pillow. I'd try to find that place where I'd be apart from the world. Then, maybe he'd be there too. The thought of it placed a weak smile on my face. Just seeing him smiling for a change, and not an evil smirk, seemed like a rare photo to capture. Whenever that moment would show, I'd keep it close. And whenever he'd show his face again, I'd never release him.

_I wasn't going to give up waiting for him..._

xxXXxx

"How many days has it been now?" Pence inquired while the three of us began packing up our belongings from Math.

I looked up at him then back to the floor.

"Days since what?" Hayner asked.

"You know, since Axel's been absent from school."

"Oh...that's pretty weird, yeah? How many days _has_ it been?"

I pulled my backpack on and abruptly felt the weight of it pressing hard atop my shoulders. Everyday my body felt like it would suddenly shut down on me. Yeah, I was eating. Ok, maybe not _that much_. But at least it was enough to keep me going. My eating habits definitely weren't the case. And neither was my lack of sleep. The reason was that I was _thinking too much_.

"Roxas?"

"Huh?" I gasped and pulled my eyes up from the ground.

"You ok?" Hayner roughly slapped his hand on my shoulder and shook me loosely. I shrugged him off and lightly shook my head.

"It's fine..." I whispered quickly and started for the door, realizing that we were the last one's to leave.

"It's just that, you know, every role call taken, he's been absent for. He could break a record for being these many days gone!"

I glared at Pence at the sudden hilarity in his voice then to Hayner when he began laughing. As if being forced to, I thrust my fist out, slamming it into the nearest, unsuspecting locker. The sudden bang from the metal temporarily paused all action around us. Everything started up again only seconds later.

"Roxas, what's the matter?" Hayner asked skeptically after a moment of silence.

I let off a low growl and shook my head in disappointment to the floor. A couple times, I parted my lips to speak but tightly shut them up. Even if I wanted to speak slowly and calmly, I knew by the way my blood was heating up that I would say things far from that state. Instead, I shoved my hands in my pockets and kept my eyes downcast.

"Roxas...? Roxas!" I could hear faint footsteps following mine and I groaned.

"Not now, Pence! Not now..." Satisfied by the steps coming to a halt, I walked off with my back turned, not really caring where I would end up.

They didn't know him...at least not as much as me. Sure, I knew how long he had been absent but I didn't want to talk about the subject much. I thought that maybe I would start to choke on tears if I did. I was being too sensitive...too concerned. Even if I told people why I was acting the way I was, they would never understand.

Everyday, I'd pass by the calendar in the hallway, slowly watching the days being torn off one by one. I counted off my fingers: 2 and a half weeks. How long was this going to take?

xxXXxx

"No...no we haven't...yes, I'll be sure to ask around. H-Have you tried his house number? Oh...I see. Of course, I'll keep a sharp look out. Yes, buh-bye."

At the sound of the kitchen phone being returned, I looked up from my homework and carefully gazed over my shoulder.

"Roxas?" Mom asked while she silently stepped into the room.

I caught the hint of uneasiness in the way she spoke to me but I tried not to seem obvious. "Yeah?"

As if hesitating to ask, she shifted and began twirling her ponytail with her fingers. "I just received a call from your school."

"Uh-huh..."

"They're concerned about one of your classmates. Axel? I think that's his name?"

My pencil dropped from my fingers and rolled underneath the coffee table where I had been struggling to answer math problems. I attempted to speak clearly but only came up with, "I-I...why...me? I'd know?"

"Well, it's just that some of your teachers thought that, since you two were friends..."

"Friends?" I brought my head up from under the table and ended up banging against the glass. "Ow!" Rubbing the back of my head, I groaned then checked my fingers for blood.

"That's what your principal was told," She said before strolling over to me to pat my head.

"I...ow...I don't know where he is."

"The poor thing...he's probably been sick for almost three weeks!"

"What about poor me?" I groaned again and cringed when she lightly smacked me with the back of her hand.

"I'll just try calling some of your friends' parents," She began while picking up the living room phone, "I bet Olette would know something. She's great at getting the latest information for the paper, right?"

"I guess..." Miserably, I slammed my math book shut, figuring that skipping the last three problems wouldn't hurt my grade much. I didn't bother to clean up my supplies and simply dragged my feet over to the couch where I flopped down on my stomach.

So it wasn't until _now_ that people were becoming concerned? I was already getting nervous on day one of him missing! Zexion and the others were dialing Axel's number so many times to a point where Demyx's cell phone ran out of battery in just a few hours. Everyday they'd ask:

"_Roxas, did he come with you today?"_

And everyday I'd say, "No."

One of these days I just wished that I'd say something else. A 'yes' would have been nice. Then he'd show up from behind me and life would go on. What would I do once I caught sight of him? Just stare? Hug him maybe? Or absolutely nothing? This felt like planning out my life schedule and my head was already overflowing with thoughts.

Lazily, I turned my back just as mom began striking up a conversation on the phone, and shut my eyes. No more thinking...just lay off it for a while...

Mom's voice never sounded so soothing. Sleep overtook me before I even had the chance to even chuckle at the way she laughed. Laughter...heh, I missed hearing it...from everyone and me.

xxXXxx

"_So you really didn't tell anyone?"_

"_No...I barely even talked to anyone lately."_

"_Yeah...same here."_

My eyes fluttered open only to be blinded by darkness. I was facing the back cushion of the couch, from what I could see once my sight adjusted, and the thin caress of a white blanket against my leg nearly caused me to roll onto the floor. I sat up and figured that mom must have placed it over me when she saw me asleep.

"_Everything ok a home?"_

"_Are you kidding? I was barely able to force myself to get out of there..."_

"_Why?"_

"_He won't let me leave...I had to wait for him to sleep before sneaking out."_

Voices? I blinked and pushed the sheets away. I recognized the first voice as Sora but the second was too hushed for me to paint a face. I could only make out that it was young male. Dying to lay eyes on the unknown person, I stood from the couch and easily inched through the dark to where I could still hear the conversation being told.

"_He? Who're you talking about?"_

"_I came to tell you..."_

The last bit of his sentence was cut off by the sudden rustle of leaves outside the window beside me. I jumped sideways and whispered a cuss half to myself and half to the wind. Finally, I reached the kitchen where I was able to peek through the window just above the sink. The moonlight revealed two distorted shadows sitting outside in the backyard; one was Sora, the other I still didn't know.

"_Oh man..."_ Sora whispered in disbelief.

The other boy sighed that I just barely caught amongst the puffs of wind. _"I don't know when he'll be able to go back to school."_

"_Has he even gotten out of the house yet?"_

"_No."_

"_Wow...almost three weeks..."_

That's when I knew. The 'he' they were talking about was Axel. Instantly, my eyes widened and my heart jumped into my throat. I had to know...

"_Riku?"_

"_Hmm?"_

"_You said it was hard to leave?"_

"_Yeah. He's never had it this hard before. I had to look out for him. It's like...like...I was abandoning him."_

"Had _what_ hard? What!" I whispered in a desperate attempt to hear more information. "Come on, Riku...what?"

"_I just figured I had to tell you. You should let Roxas know too."_

There was pause.

"_That's probably why he's been so bottled up lately," _Sora replied while leaning back to gaze up at the sky.

"_I had a feeling he would be."_

"_Really?_

"_Sure. It's not a secret to me that he and Axel are close. I mean, Axel seems so protective of Roxas when he talks about him."_

I lowered my eyes and gloomily stared at the countertop. So he was thinking about me...he was hurting. Whatever it was that he was going through, he still had the time to stop and think about me. Out of all people...out of all people.

_I had to see him_

Swiftly, I pushed away from the counter and turned toward the living room. I shot through the darkness, not caring if my footsteps awoke mom or if they caught the attention of the two outside. I just kept quick on my feet and didn't even slow when it came to pulling the front door open. Leaving the door to hang open a crack, I jumped the steps on our stairway and darted through the coolness of night with the once soft breeze whipping at my face.

I didn't no where to start. I didn't even know where to end. Even if I had to run from street to street, I'd move on. The darkness played tricks on people but I wasn't about to let it play one on me. I wasn't about to let it stop me.

xxXXxx

"Come on...just show up..." I hissed to myself upon what felt like my third hour of waiting outside Axel's fence. When the lights failed to turn on, I pushed away and rubbed the back of my head in dissatisfaction.

When I passed by his house after he went missing, I would see his group of friends throwing pebbles at a window to the right side of the house only to receive no reply. I guessed that was where his room was but I didn't dare try and throw stones at his window. What if his dad caught me? That would just get both of us in even more trouble.

"Where _are _you?" I whispered to the dark, hoping that somehow he'd respond. When nothing came, I sighed heavily and turned in a separate direction for another place to search. Once, I glanced over my shoulder at the eerie home behind me. In bright daylight, it seemed so ordinary and quiet. Now that I knew, and now that it was night, it looked like nothing but a haunted prison. That wasn't a trick from the dark.

My eyes softened then narrowed and I turned away to walk on. I felt so lost and even afraid. All I wanted was to see that he was alright and to hear his voice. Wait...he couldn't be alright. I already shuddered at the thought of another bruise on his body...maybe even more than one. No...don't think that, Roxas. Don't think that.

I felt a light droplet land on the top on my nose and I looked up at the clouded sky.

"Rain?" I asked, feeling another hit the top of my head. It rarely rained in Twilight Town. And when it did rain, it was normally in the early spring and was barely close to being a strong shower. Great...if it started pouring right now...

I broke into a hurried walk at that point, knowing that if I got caught in a downpour that I wouldn't make it home until it passed. I eventually snuck into an alleyway just toward the end of the street I had been wandering on, hoping that I would be able to find some shelter from the rain that was slowly growing heavier.

"Maybe this wasn't such a great idea..." I said just as I entered the narrowed alley. The alley appeared fairly deserted except for a few trashcans that were neatly placed against the wall to my left. As the droplets began to seep through my shirt, I forced myself to keep walking, now wishing that I had brought a jacket.

"_Hush little baby don't say a word_

_Mommy's gonna buy you a Mockingbird_

_And if that Mockingbird won't sing_

_Mommy's gonna buy you a diamond ring_

_Aww, see that? He's falling asleep already..."_

Just ahead of me, I heard the sound of a mother's voice and slowly I studied the walls for the owner. She sounded so gentle the way she sang that lullaby yet at the same time, protective and strong. She sang the verse again, occasionally stopping to remember the next line.

I found myself inching closer to her voice until I was able to catch sight of a faint yellow light emitting from just ahead of me. But what I didn't expect to see was Axel standing motionless with half of his body touching the weak light.

I froze and stared unblinking at him as if I barely even recognized who he was. I hadn't seen him in so long that I must have forgotten the tiniest details in his face. He was leaning against a wall that stood just across from another where the voice of the woman was coming from. He wore a black hoodie and a ripped pair of khakis. He didn't seem to mind the rain, seeing as he hadn't bothered to pull his hood over his face, and just went on staring at the light in silence.

Hadn't he seen me yet?

Quietly, I moved toward him, keeping my footsteps light so as to not splash in the newly created puddles on the ground below me. But just as I was nearly a few feet away from him, he gasped and piercing teal gazed down at me. Truthfully, I was glad to see that color again even if he didn't seem all too happy to see me.

"R-Roxas..." He stuttered and un-folded his arms.

"Axel..." I took another step toward him but he only took another back. The way he shifted his face away from me several times only caused my curiosity to rise and my heart to sink. He seemed fine as far as injuries...at least for now he did.

"W-what're _you_ doing here?" He asked just as he took another step back.

I stopped, not wanting him to back further away from me, and instead brought my attention to a window at my left to where the source of the faint light was coming from. The singing had come to a close and was replaced with supple humming.

Behind the thin white curtain was a woman that I recognized as Mrs. Strife sitting in a squeaky, oak, rocking chair with a small infant being cradled in her arms. She had her hair tied back in another braid and wore a long nightgown that hid her figure underneath. The child was sleeping silently with its dark eyelashes wet with tears and its cheeks were pink.

I chuckled at the sight of it and turned back to where I had last seen Axel. "I didn't know she..." I cut myself off when I spotted him turned away from me, now with his dark hood pulled tightly over his face. "Axel...?" But as he walked off, I knew he wanted to be alone. Either that or he was just hiding something from me. But why me?

Watching as the darkness stole him away, I continued to wonder what had happened.

"_There...! I saw him over there!"_

"Dem...Demyx?" I whispered and turned halfway around to see nothing there. To make my vision worse, the light from Mrs. Strife's window flickered off to leave me literally blind in the shower. "Demyx?" I asked again.

"_Huh? Oh, crap!"_ I heard the sound of metal falling against the asphalt along with a high pitched scream.

"_Demyx! Shh!"_

"_Sor-ry! It was the trashcan's fault!"_

"_Trashcan's don't make mistakes, you idiot! They just sit there!"_

"_Be quiet, both of you!"_

I couldn't help but laugh lightly at the very thought of what I was hearing. I shook my head as three bodies emerged from the darkness.

Demyx was the first to show himself with his once golden blonde hair flopped over and dark brown due to the rain. Slung around one arm was a huge, black leather case that I assumed held an instrument. His grey sports jacket appeared one size too big for his frail body and that went for his jeans as well.

Marluxia was beside him, keeping one gloved hand firmly gripped on the sling of Demyx's instrument case. He, just like what appeared to be his potential punching-bag, was drenched though he was smart enough to keep a hood on.

Zexion came last, calmly slipping out from underneath the mass of black with an army green umbrella being held rather close to the tip of his head. His entire body was hidden behind a long, black cloak that made him look like he popped out from the _Matrix_. The way I saw it, he was the smartest out of the three to be so covered up and dry.

They all peered at me through the silver shower in silence before Zexion started up a conversation.

"Evening, Roxas."

"Uh, h-hi," I replied almost indistinctly.

"You didn't happen to meet up with Axel, did you?"

I paused for a few seconds and glanced over my shoulder. "He walked off...he doesn't..."

"I understand," He whispered and silently walked past me before disappearing as quickly as he had shown.

"He doesn't want you to see him I guess," Demyx said, flipping a strand of his drenched hair away from his light blue eyes.

"You guess? But wait, where did...?"

"Catch you later, Roxas." Marluxia finally released Demyx and broke into a slow run toward Zexion, leaving the two of us alone.

I could vaguely hear voices behind me and wanted to do nothing more than join in on the conversation. They had found him, from what I could hear, and, truthfully, it didn't feel fair that I couldn't _talk_...just listen. Frustrated, I sighed and scratched my head.

"See you later I guess..." I said and lowered my head as I started for the exit.

"W-Wait, Roxas." Demyx's hand shot forward and tightly clung to the fabric in my t-shirt sleeve. I stumbled backward and nearly sent Demyx to the ground. "Ah...he doesn't _have _to know, you know."

"Huh?" I turned around and faced him directly.

Uneasily, he glanced right and left then behind him which caused beads of water from his hair to splatter all over my face. I just brushed them off with the back of my hand and waited for him to calm down.

"Uhm...look," He said, bringing his voice down to a whisper, "there's a little niche over there..." I followed to where he had directed his finger over his shoulder and barely made out a bit of protruding wall to the right.

"Ok...?"

"It's just close enough, got it?"

"Close...enough?"

"You'll get it...now go!" Not even bothering to wait for my reply, he grabbed me roughly by the shoulders and shoved me toward the little hideaway. Once there, he pushed my head down until I was forced to squat with my back against the wall. With a quick gesture of pressing his finger against his lips, he turned his back on me and bounded off toward the end of the alley, the sound of the rusted chains of his case fading along with him.

Now all I had to do was wait...for what?

"_Hey...you ok, man?" _It was Demyx. He sounded fairly close.

"_Let him take a look..."_ Marluxia.

"_Ooo...does it hurt?"_

"_Sort of..."_ Axel.

"_How did...?" _Demyx again.

"_He found out about my test score even though I hid it from him. He probably rummaged through my stuff and found it."_

"_That's enough...stop touching it. It'll just start bleeding." _Zexion.

"_It never **stopped**__bleeding."_

"_Just give it time to heal then."_

"_How can you keep taking this?" _Marluxia asked with tension.

"_Do I have a choice?"_

"'_Course you do! You're a different person than him. That means you've got equal rights!"_ Demyx.

"_Not when I'm under his roof. To him, I'm not a person."_

"_That's enough! We can't change it. Just let it be for now."_ Zexion, being the parent-figure he was, began lecturing. He kept saying that it was done and there was nothing to be done about it. After that, there would just be silence...I know _I _wouldn't be able to say much...actually, I wasn't even saying anything now.

"_When'll you go back to school do ya think?" _Marluxia spoke up, his voice quavering.

There was a pause.

"_Soon as he'll let me. He said that I'm not allowed to leave the house until he says so..."_

"_What're you doing here then?"_ Demyx asked anxiously.

"_Old man got drunk and fell asleep on the couch. Besides, Riku left and I didn't really like the feeling of bein' alone."_

"_Thought Mrs. Strife had the time to talk to you?" _Marluxia.

"_No...I dunno. I just came here 'cause...it's nothing."_

"_Ok," _Zexion sounded stiff probably as a way to cease any more questions, _"We'll just get you back ok? Riku might be back by now, right?"_

"_Where...where'd Roxas go?"_

"_Hmm? Roxas?"_

I looked up from the ground and my body suddenly began shaking. It wasn't because of the rain; that was for sure. Why would he even mention me? It didn't look like he even wanted to see me...or talk to me. I wanted these questions answered and kept still, keeping my breathing down into faint puffs.

"_Yeah...he saw me just before you guys got here..."_

"_He...uhm..." _Demyx's stuttered voice trailed off. He wasn't very good at acting and I hated that. Don't let him find me...

"_He must have gone home..."_ It wasn't until now that I noticed that Marluxia's voice sounded disturbed. At first I thought he was just shaken up about Axel's condition but, then again...I don't know. He just sounded different. I put it off for now and tried to take more interest into the words and not how they were said.

"_Yes...just like we should all be doing. Let's get out of this rain, huh?"_

Only seconds later, there were soft footsteps quickening in pace toward where I was hidden. I pressed my back hard against the wet brick and waited for them all to pass before finding the right time to leave. I only gazed up when I caught the shadow of Axel lagging behind them. I remembered his shadow...I had seen it like this in the dark once before. And, just like before, I was slightly afraid.

My glossed eyes continued to follow him until he was far beyond my point of vision. I knew where he was now...but...what was wrong with him?

xxXXxx

I didn't arrive home until around the time the sun was rising and the rain was drawing to a close. My whole body shook violently and I feared that I would die of a cold...if that was possible. By the looks of things, Riku had already left and the house was just as quiet as I had left it.

Mom hadn't woken up therefore, she couldn't catch my absence. Slightly relieved by that news, I flopped back down on the couch and pulled the sheets tightly over my drenched body. Even though my mind told my body that I was tired, my body refused to listen and went on shivering and being awake.

"More info on the drugs, huh?" I said to myself while I glanced over the newspaper lying on the coffee table. I had tried reading it for a while to see if, somehow, I'd fall asleep reading it. After all, that was just the way my mind worked. Read a few boring sentences then fall asleep. Like always, Olette had another top story about rumors on this and rumors on that. I already expected today's morning paper to be just as hectic as this one and I forced myself to laugh...it was too weak.

The thing was: I couldn't laugh. Not now...not when I knew he was being abused like this. I sniffled once and threw the paper back, letting it slide across the table before scattering on the carpet. I sighed lazily and fell on my back with my eyes closed.

"_Roxas! Roxas, wake up! Now, now!"_

I jolted up from the couch and stared blankly at the stairs. I probably sat up too quickly because my head started throbbing painfully. "Mom?" I called out in reply to her panicked voice.

"Get up from there and fix yourself up! Sora! Sora you get up too, do you hear me? Now!"

"Mom, what's wrong?" I asked while rubbing my temple with both of my thumbs. As if her voice yelling in my head was enough...

"I just got a call from Olette's...honey, why are you soaking?"

I stared down at my outfit and realized that I could see my skin underneath the weight of the water. "I...I probably sleepwalked last night..."

"Well, that's what you get for not eating properly...oh, never mind that! Olette's mom just called." She nearly tripped coming down the stairs and dashed toward the closet.

"What? More news about Axel gone missing?"

"No..." She banged the door behind her and hastily zipped a white fleece coat over her nightgown. Mom? Banging doors? Something was definitely up...

"Then what?"

"We have to see Olette. She's in the hospital."

"Huh!" I exclaimed, throwing back the sheets from my legs, "Why? What's wrong?"

"Her mom was so hysterical...she said that Olette didn't come home from school yesterday and she was just found on the outskirts of town...SORA! You had better be getting up!"

"_Ok! I'm up, I'm up!"_

"Yeah? And?"

"From the looks of things, someone took advantage of her..."

"What? As in raped her?" I shot up from the couch and curled my hands into fists.

"I don't know, honey. Just hurry up so we can go see her."

I already had a person in mind that would do something like that to Olette. Actually, more like a list of people. If I showed up all drenched like this, I knew I'd be falsely accused. Amongst all the cuts and bruises, I was the one that ended up getting hurt...it was just that nobody knew it yet.

* * *

**I just found out that my father is also reading this story! -gasps and flails arms to cover up yaoiness- wahhhh! DX oh well...-pouts-**

**Roxas: Wait...your father is reading this?  
Axel: -faints-  
Roxas: Noo! -huggles him- don't leeeeaaaavvvee meeeee!  
Me: O.o -glomps both of them and puts them to sleep on an airbed-  
Axel and Roxas: ;D  
Me: -waves and takes them and the airbed on the airplane- Ja, matane! ehehe...japanese is fuuuunnn...see you soon and please at least 10 more reviews! thank you! -flys off with mickey hat-**

**_probably not going to get a wink of sleep tonight due to excited-caffineness...  
kokoro77 XDD_**


	16. Chapter Sixteen: The Project

**Author's Note: Well, hewo again! Wow! That trip sure was great! -dances with disney stuff- I bought a cute little mickey beanie plushie that's round like a ball with HUGE ears and cute little hands and feet sticking out! Now I can praise his royal highness as much as I want in this plushie form! -cuddles mickey- XD What I hate is that disney came out with new Captain Jack Sparrow hats with the dred locks and the cool bandana but it was out park wide! -pouts- I really wanted it...oh well! There's always Halloween time, neh? Don't worry! I didn't forget to update. whew! here it is as promised! -sings about akuroku with mickey plush- wheeeeee! i am so insane today. :D**

Chapter Sixteen: The Project

I didn't think that I would have to re-visit this place...rushing through the hallways while short of breath. The strange thing was that, this time, I felt...different.

But why?

Olette was so close to me...we had known each other ever since we were kids with Hayner and Pence. She always helped with homework and even had a bandage out and ready if any of us had a cut. Really...she _is_ close to me...but, maybe...maybe _he's even closer_.

After some time, Sora finally dragged himself out of bed and ran with mom and me toward the hospital. That whole time, he never bothered to glance in my direction. I was surprised that I had even paid attention. So many thoughts were clouding my mind...the simple questions: Who? When? How? _Why?_

The hospital, lucky for us, is conveniently located just up the hill from us. The only times I remembered going there was when Sora had a severe case of the cold and when Axel passed out from exhaustion...no, please don't think of that, Roxas. Too many things...too many...

"Excuse me," Mom began, attempting to speak clearly in between gasps for air as she approached the front desk, "we're looking for Olette...she's a young girl...brunette...is she here?"

"One moment please." A small lady was seated behind the desk and wore the typical white nurse's outfit. She easily pushed away from the desk and bent down, out of our sight.

The hospital always gave me this iffy feeling. Ever since I was a kid, I hated the sight of needles and the taste of medicine from the doctor's office. So, it only made sense that stepping foot into a _hospital_ scared me beyond explanation. Still, I'd have the let those feelings stay aside for a while. Now wasn't the time to be afraid for myself.

The nurse appeared a few minutes later with a thin, tan colored folder in her hands. She flipped to the front page and scanned through the unknown document. "Let's see...Olette...she's just down the hall to the right. You should be able to see her through the window."

Without bothering to wait for mom and Sora, I broke into a run toward the hallway. What was I supposed to expect when I saw her? What was I supposed to do? No, stop it. Stop trying to plan out your life schedule again...you're just ruining your life.

Hesitantly, I reached for the doorknob to a rather small looking room. Through the window, I could see nothing but distorted shadows moving uselessly behind a satin, baby pink curtain. The nurse said that I would be able to see her...I just had to take my chances. I finally gathered myself up to push open the door and set foot inside.

"Uhm...Olette...?" I asked shyly while mom forced her way inside from behind me. Sora stood beside me and shook his head when he saw _her_ lying on the bed in the middle of the room. For some reason, I just stayed put, letting my body freeze up on the spot.

Olette was up to her neck in pale blue sheets. Her eyes were directed up to the television screen mounted to the wall just across from the foot of her bed. She didn't seem to be taking interest in the cartoons...or the OC. That instantly brought some attention to me. All she could do was keep her arms folded calmly over her stomach and pretend to watch.

How could she just ignore the crying and all the worry? Olette was never like this...it was almost as if she was dead the way her skin was pale with the exception of a few dark spots that tattooed the skin on her upper arms. Her once satin soft, light brown hair had lost its shine and was a bit ruffled up as if she had just left the shower.

"Olette...?" I asked quietly to make sure I wouldn't startle her. I strode over to her bedside while Sora followed behind me. "Olette..." I carefully lowered my body down until I was just about eye-level with her face. That's when she finally looked away from the screen and her weary eyes locked with mine.

"Ro...Rox-as..." At that point, all she could do was say my name while large teardrops slid down her face. I carefully brought her head under my chin and let her cry on me. I wanted to ask her what was wrong and if she was ok. But, considering that she was sobbing, thought it was better to keep my curiosity to a minimum.

"At least I have her back..." I heard Olette's mom whisper from across the room. Her mom was always the easy-going type of woman. She rarely said 'no' whenever we would ask if we could have something or if we could go somewhere.

Like Sora and I, Olette had no father. Well, she did but he was divorced with Olette's mom for years and his whereabouts were unknown. Her hair was raven black and fell just a few centimeters below her waist. Everyday I saw her, she was wearing some sort of jogging outfit with a confident smile on her face. But now, her smile was noticeably a forced one and her outfit was worn-out.

"And at least she's alright," mom replied while patting Olette's mom's back.

"She is...there's no sign that he actually got to her...all he really did was bring her down and..."

"It's ok, you don't have to say..."

I was glad that she didn't. While Olette's crying softened, I went on thinking about who...that was really what mattered right now. Seifer...he seemed like a perfect match...but what motive did he have? Did he get drunk or maybe he just felt like having fun in the wrong way?

It could have been anyone in our high school, seeing as we were all boys. My only true fact was that it wasn't me. But I knew at least someone would suspect me or Hayner _or_ Pence. After all, we were her close guy friends. She didn't have much contact with other guys except for a couple of kids she babysat and a couple that asked her out from our school. Who was left...? Just..._them_.

I denied it and lightly shook my head, thinking that if I moved too much that Olette would feel uncomfortable. They were too good...even if their reputation was bad. True, the town suspected them for the events going on: the drugs, the t-shirt, the graffiti, the possible fire, and now Olette.

But I had gotten to know them. Demyx couldn't, flat out _wouldn't_. He would just chicken out if he was dared to and would run home. Zexion didn't even seem to give a damn about getting in trouble and Marluxia, though he was pretty shifty at times, seemed too much of a good guy. Then there was..._Axel_.

He couldn't...but, he did look sort of uneasy last night. But what reason would he have to rape a girl like Olette? Had they even met before? I didn't think so. It didn't feel logical...still...he did look like he had the brain to plan something like that so quickly. He also seemed like he had the strength to leave those imprints on her skin...what am I thinking? He doesn't have interest in her! He...it's me. If he wanted to find someone to go to...someone to hold...it had to be me.

There...that's the truth. He doesn't take a liking to girls...he...he loves me...doesn't he? If he wanted to run to someone, he'd take me. Only me.

"Roxas, she's gone to sleep..." Mom whispered gently in my ear.

I pulled away from my train of thoughts and stared down at Olette. Her tears had stained the neck of my shirt from what I saw after I carefully laid her head back down on the pillow. Smoothly, I stroked the top of her head before sitting on a couch just beside the window. Sora was beside me, his tired eyes gazing outside the window, still turned away from me.

We still had school today...I hoped that studying would pull me away into a place of refuge for a while...then again, probably not. I would just catch myself thinking about too many things while the lessons would go on. That's it...I had to know. I had to find them and ask...even if he didn't go to school tomorrow...I'd find him.

_I don't want to suspect you..._

xxXXxx

"Think you'll make it to the next game, Roxas?" Hayner asked me while he tossed a basketball in my direction.

I lazily caught it and tossed it back in an awkward angle. "Don't think so..."

"Why not? Afraid that you'll end up rushing to the hospital again?" He caught it with a sideways jump and cradled it under one arm.

"No, that's not it. It's just that I think I'm not getting enough sleep time..." Ok, what Hayner had said was true. I didn't want to be caught up in another freakish scenario like that again.

"Aw, don't worry 'bout it. Olette's a strong girl. I kept telling her that when I saw her yesterday with Pence."

"You...You saw her?" I asked, bringing my eyes up from the floor.

"Yup. My dad brought both of us to the hospital to see her...at least she was laughing a bit."

"She's still ok?"

He scratched the back of his head and dribbled the ball once. "She's somewhat fine. Her nurses say that she's still in some kind of shock. But, by the time this week's over, she should be fine."

"Doesn't it bug you about _who_ did that to her?" I stopped myself from sounding annoyed and made sure that no one around us could hear the conversation.

"Yeah...'course it does. If you ask me, it's one of those guys that you're friends with. Either that or it was Seifer. Sounds like something that one of them would have the nerve to do." I felt the impact from the basketball when he threw it at my chest.

"Don't take it out on me!" I complained and slightly bent down because of the pain.

"Sorry," He said nonchalantly and quickly glanced at his watch. "When's practice over? Ugh, I'm getting so tweaked..." Just as he was about to make a cherry bomb with the ball, he froze and took a moment to scan over the gym. I quirked an eyebrow at him and watched him search this way and that.

"Wait a minute...he's _still_ not here?"

"Huh?"

"Wow...at this rate, he might have to be kicked off the team..."

I bit my lip and turned my head away. Go ahead, make assumptions like that like you always do...if you only knew, then you wouldn't dare talk about him that way. If everyone knew, _no one_ would dare talking gossip like that about him.

"You know, Hayner..."

"_Alright! Gather up the basketballs and get cleaned up! We're done!"_ The sound of Mr. Strife's whistle in my ear caused me to jump back. I nearly forgot what I was about to say and stood dumbfounded around the rushing students.

"Roxas! Hurry up!" Hayner called from far away.

"Uh, coming! Hold up!"

xxXXxx

As usual, after practice conversations consisted of perverted words and events, and, like always, I stood in the corner, only laughing when someone would have a dirty sock flung in his face. I told Hayner that I'd meet up with him outside later and I sent him off with the rest of the dirty-talkers out of the locker room.

"Finally!" I exclaimed and began un-tying my shoe laces. I liked being the last to leave. It was just because I felt uneasy undressing while keeping to myself amongst conversations about girls and this and that. I really had nothing to say when it came to things like that. But, whatever.

"It's the same thing, day-in, day-out...noting but sex...geez, doesn't anyone in this school have any sanity left in them?" I pulled my top off and threw it behind me, not giving the slightest interest in if it got dirty or not. "Damn...where's my uniform? Don't tell me...crap..." Hastily, I shot up and stared around the area in nothing but my gym shorts and socks. Someone must have taken it by mistake!

Nervously, I flailed my arms and cursed at random when I came up with nothing. "Ugh, why me? Why? If mom sees me in a gym uniform at home...ugh! Damn it! Everything's all wrong!" I went on fuming to myself and got up from the hard cement to sit miserably on the wooden bench in the middle of the changing area.

Who was I kidding? As if I wanted to go home anyway...this little feeling was happening all over again. I wished I wasn't like this: feeling like I wanted to run away and forget absolutely everything and _everyone_. Sora wasn't even talking or looking at me, mom was like a zombie ever since yesterday and I still felt like I was drifting from my friends.

"Why did I have to go to _this_ school? Why not somewhere in Hallow Bastion? Gosh, if I have to put up one more stupid situation I just might shoot myself! This is so...!"

"_Hey..."_

I cut myself off and straightened where I sat. That voice was familiar...even with just one word I could picture a face...even the whole person. With Riku, I had to wait until his name was mentioned before I could figure out who he was.

I felt a soft touch on my left shoulder and I nearly froze with excitement. And, despite that excitement, I kept my expression clean as if I didn't seem to care. I steered away from speaking and simply turned my head at a steady pace before I could catch a glimpse of him standing behind me.

"You're...back?" I asked, slipping away from his hand while I stood to face him directly.

This time, he didn't avert his eyes from me. He kept them locked with mine. He was dressed in his same outfit as last night but strangely he didn't appear messy despite the rain. Now I could see his face. On his left cheek was a large bandage that failed to conceal a long, red cut that ran from under his eye to the end of his jaw line. I assumed it was the product of his father's abuse.

A tiny sweat drop slid down my cheek while I stared wide-eyed at him, lips parted and fingers trembling. He was really here...in front of me...and he wasn't running away. I wasn't running away...

He shyly looked toward the floor then back at me, probably embarrassed that I had noticed his injury. Afterward, he took careful steps toward me and reached forward until his hand just barely grazed my cheek.

"...Sorry..." He said, his lips shaking.

"Sorry? Sorry...!" I lunged forward, colliding my body with his so I could loosely wrap my arms around his waist. "How can you be sorry, you idiot? Why don't you think about yourself for once? How can you say you're sorry!"

I heard him stutter nervously. I had probably said the wrong thing. What are you thinking, Roxas? He's been through too much...calling him an idiot doesn't make anything better. I remembered that my anger sometimes went over the top. When it did, I'd take it out on other people. That was something I had to fix...if I wanted to talk to Axel, I couldn't take my anger out on him. Was it awkward to call him _sensitive_?

I knew now...he was himself again...his _real_ self. He had that same face...that same voice. It was all so familiar. I wondered how long he'd stay like that. Hopefully long enough.

"Sorry...I didn't mean it." Embarrassed, and ashamed of myself, I released him and took a step back. "Sorry..."

"You really waited, didn't you?" He asked smoothly.

I tilted my head up until I could see his face again. "Huh?"

"Ever since I was gone, you waited."

"Well...yeah."

"Demyx told me everything. Said you hid in that alleyway while we were striking up a conversation." Carefully, he lifted his hand up to his bandage and easily peeled it off, revealing to me blood stained cotton and a seemingly fresh knife wound. "You're _that_ concerned?"

I blushed. Can this guy read minds? Yes, I do admit that I have to know how he's doing. And, yes, it's gone to a point where people might call it an obsession. But isn't that something positive? As if his dad is there for him...and it's not like he has someone to be beside him 24/7, not even Riku and not even his counselor. It's like it's only...me.

I nodded.

He chuckled weakly and folded up the bandage after shaking his head at the sight of his own dark blood. "Come on, Roxas. It's not like pain is _that_ bad of a thing, right?"

"In your case it is," I argued.

"You don't get it. You should be grateful that you feel pain. If you don't, how will you know you're alive?"

True...pain...it's not all that horrible. The sensation of it is but the thought of it doesn't hurt as much...is that what I'm hearing?

"If I don't feel dad's words and injuries, I'm literally dead. That's not where I want to be."

"But why do you have to take it? Look at you," I pointed at his cut, "how can you take something like that?"

He sighed and lightly touched the skin around the wound. "He got drunk when he found my test scores. Went into the kitchen and forced a small knife at my face...all he did was slash and that was that."

I lowered my finger and suddenly felt like I shared his pain. I couldn't be angry at him. He's still young...he still doesn't know what to do. Like all kids, so long as they're under the same roof as their parents, they have to take in rules. It's not his fault that he's getting beaten up. It's not his fault for being alive. It's his father that doesn't understand...

"You're...going back tomorrow...right? To school I mean," I asked gently.

He blinked and gave off a tiny smirk at me. "Wouldn't want you being all depressed...it's not good to feel that way in High School, right?"

Why act so cool at a time like this? There you go again, changing into another you to hide yourself. I didn't see anything to laugh about; nothing to smile about. Sure, he was back...and he was going back to school tomorrow. But, I strangely wasn't satisfied. I didn't think I would ever be until he was.

"You're right, I don't wanna feel depressed. But I don't want you feeling that way either."

"Who said I was depressed?"

"I do. Axel, you know this isn't right."

"Roxas..."

"But I guess you really don't have much of a place to go, do you?"

"I..."

"So, go deny all you want. Go cover up all you want. Just know that, to me, you'll never change. All I see is confusion...but at the same time, someone who's just looking for someone to hold onto."

He said nothing.

"That's why you should...you..." I gazed toward the floor, my boldness drifting into nervousness, "...you can tell me things. You don't have to hide yourself from me." That's when I spotted a shadow falling over me. It was at that moment I had finished speaking did I momentarily stare at him looking down at me rather affectionately. I knew what was coming...it was like I had memorized the steps.

It was nothing but a light peck. Nothing all too deep and nothing all too plain. It was like something a married couple would do when you saw them walking down the street. Just as simple as that...almost like it was one of our personal greetings now.

_By feeling this way...I know I'm alive._

xxXXxx

"Got a call from Olette's mom last night."

"Really? What'd she say?" Pence asked brightly.

I looked up from my desk and turned toward Hayner at the desk to my left.

"Her mom says that she's back at home and nothing bad really happened with her tests. All that their worried about now is who did it." He began chewing his pencil eraser, one of his bad habits that he did when he was ticked off or unstable.

"At least she's okay. You know, I bet you anything that we'll have cops roaming around our campus soon to interview some people. That's what happened last summer, remember? With that other girl from Olette's school? Only, that guy's locked up now. So, it couldn't be him." Pence leaned back in his chair and restlessly tapped his fingers atop his desk, a habit he did when he was drawn into a topic.

"Let's just hope we're not at the top of the list of suspects," I whispered and they both agreed. Mrs. Lockhart entered the room in the fashion she always did, a few minutes late and smiling widely. Instantly, the class shushed up and all eyes followed her when she made her way to the front of her desk to take role.

"Alright, today we've got a very important project to discuss so let's just hope that we've got the right amount of people, hm? Okie-dokie...uhm...Axel?"

I shifted my eyes to the far side of the room where he usually sat and my heart sank when I didn't see him seated behind Marluxia. Demyx twiddled his fingers nervously under his desk and Zexion rubbed his temple as if he had a headache. Strangely, Marluxia stared forward, his point of interest glued to the ticking clock above the chalkboard. I wonder...

"Absent again?" Disappointedly, Mrs. Lockhart clicked her pen open and began scribbling something down on the paper.

When she had finished, the doorknob to the classroom began clattering. I, along with everyone else, stared at it and followed as the door swung open and Axel stepped foot inside the classroom.

"Uh...here?" He said uneasily while shutting the door with his back.

"Oh, well, welcome back!" Mrs. Lockhart exclaimed while giving him a cheerful wave with her pen. "Feeling better?"

"Uhm...sort of." Quietly, he strode over to the empty desk behind Marluxia while many of our classmates either gossiped or congratulated him for showing up.

"Good, so I believe we're all even?" She finished up role call and placed the clipboard behind her on the desk. Like she always did, she sat at the front of her desk rather than behind it while teaching. "Alright, so if you'd take out your packets we can..."

But I didn't pay attention to the lecture. While everyone pulled out the necessary items, I kept my eyes pinned on Axel. When he came in, he had a new bandage stretched over his cut but it was out of my vision from where we were sitting now. Maybe his dad finally let him go today but he would secretly spy on Axel while he was studying at school. The bastard. I never really had a father but I already knew that a dad like Arson wasn't the picture perfect role model.

"Ok, partner up!"

"What?" I gasped and stupidly stared around the room while people got up to walk over to other's desks. I wasn't paying attention! Clumsily, I stood up and searched for Hayner only to find him standing beside Pence's desk.

"Sorry, Roxas!" He called out, "We were paired up last time! New partners this time, 'kay?" And he went on jotting down notes on a blank sheet of paper.

I slumped forward and groaned. Great. Hayner was _always_ my partner. We did great projects together. He had the creativity and I had the information. While everyone in kindergarten made chocolate volcanoes, we made our own toy race cars out of nothing but sweets and ice pop sticks. And for the science fair in third grade, we were the first in our school's history to make a working miniature robot for the contest.

"Ok, get to work!" Mrs. Lockhart called out to end the social conversation. I still didn't have a partner! Frustrated, I made my way in between desks in search for someone that was just sitting there. Marluxia was with Demyx, Zexion was with someone else...he...no, he's with him...what about...no, he's over there. Ok, what about...huh? Axel?

I found him standing beside his desk, looking just as stupefied as I was. He probably noticed me standing a few feet away and turned his head to stare at me. "You?" He mouthed.

"Uhm...guess so." I scratched the back of my head and finally was able to walk toward him until we were standing side by side. "So what happens now?" I asked.

"Beats me. I got side tracked."

"Something to do with Sex Ed...that's all I know."

"Ever the smart one..." He sighed and poked my head. I pushed him off and sat myself atop his desk, studying what everyone else was doing to see if I could understand what exactly the project was about.

"Got anything?" Axel suddenly asked.

"Uh...no."

"Ah, forget it. Class should be over in about twenty anyway. Let's just ask the teacher about it towards the end of class and work on it over this weekend. Sound good to you?"

"I guess so..." I replied.

"So, how's about working over at your place?"

"Can't. Mom's got some cleaning to do on Saturday and then she's got even more of it on Sunday. Clean freak..."

He turned up to the ceiling and wrapped himself in thought for a minute. He finally turned back to me and said, "So you can go to my place on Saturday."

"Your place?" With his father there? I wanted to ask if he was insane! Still, that would be rude so I kept it to myself.

"He'll be out of town this weekend if that's what you're thinking. Riku's going with him." So he can read minds?

"W-when?"

"How's Saturday night sound? They're leaving around late afternoon so, that's the safest plan."

So it'll just be...us? Saturday night...

I thought about it for a while and forced a smile at him. "Sounds fine." Saturday night...now that I think about it, I could just be making a mistake about this whole project.

**Well, that was that! -.- I really do apologize for this extended wait. I've been rather sleepy lately and I think I might be coming down with something. Oh well, it's just little! Nothing horrid! Next update as soon as I get at least 10 more reviews! Thank you beloved peoples:D**

**_all praise king mickey! ehehe :P  
kokoro77_**


	17. Chapter Seventeen: Ice Cream

**Author's Note: my mother just lectured me a few mintues ago...she said to go to sleep NOW but that was a few minutes ago...you can't stop me from posting. ehee... O.o; So, ever wonder how happy ice cream can be? Discover it now plus other hidden secrets to Axel's familia...yay! -giggles like GIR from Invad Zim- i used to love that show...hm...? oh well!**

Chapter Seventeen: Ice Cream

I needed to use the phone..._badly_. I was actually debating if I needed the phone or the toilet more. All I knew was that I had to use both! And now! Impatiently I shifted my feet in front of mom while she sat on the living room couch. Couldn't she just talk over the internet? Her cell phone? Snail mail? And what was Sora _doing_ in the bathroom? He already took a shower! And it wasn't like it took over ten minutes to pee.

"Ah, I see...uh-huh, oh so that's what happened! Oh, I know! Isn't that the funniest thing? Oh, hang on a second...Roxas? What are you doing?"

"I-have-to-use-the-phone...!" I squealed, trying to take my mind off the bathroom.

"What for?" She asked sternly while setting the speaker side of the phone atop her shoulder.

"I've gotta call Axel!"

"What for? Oh, that's right...you two have a project to work on..."

"Yes!" It felt stupid hopping up and down like this but what else are you supposed to do to hold it in? I tried counting the 'ABC's' but whenever I got to 'p' that just made it worse. I took in another one of mom's glares and sighed restlessly when she held the phone back to her mouth.

"Hello? Yeah, Roxas has to call a friend. Oh, yeah, he's fine. He just has to go to the bathroom _and_ use the phone all at once." She took the time to glare at me but I just urged her to hang up with my eyes. I could hear a light giggle on the other line. Oh sure, let's all make fun of poor Roxas and his uncontrollable bladder. "Alright, I'll call you in a bit...alright...I'll do that. Sure, thanks, bye."

"Finally!" When she tapped a button after speaking, I shot my hands forward to steal the phone away but she just pulled it back. "M-o-m!"

"Ro-x-as," She replied in a tone copying mine. "Just make this quick, ok?"

"Ok, ok!" I reached forward again but she still pulled it away. Oh, Sora was definitely wrong: I wasn't like mom at all! It was _him_ that shared her annoying personality, not me!

"And if you've got to use the bathroom, you should have knocked on the door to make him come out." Finally, after some struggling, she tossed the phone at my chest which I was barely able to catch. Lucky it was a cordless or the force of the toss might have caused the wire to yank out of the wall.

"I already knocked! He's never coming out!"

Mom sighed and rolled her eyes before I turned my back on her. "I'll _make_ him come out."

"Let's see...number...number...ugh, do we have a directory in here?" Uselessly, I searched through the numbers pinned to mom's kitchen corkboard for Axel's number. I thought that she would have at least tried to call his place since she was so concerned of his absence. I had to call him about if it was alright to head over to his place now.

What if I got there when Riku and their dad were still there? I had a bad feeling holding me back that their father would greet me with a fist in the face...that sounded strange.

I gave up after digging for a phone book in the top drawer of one living room side table and clicked the phone off, ending the continuous tone on the other line.

This was so stupid. I was trying to make a call to ask if it was ok...ok? So what? Was it going to cause me to die if Arson was still there? The thing was: I was somewhat afraid of him. But at the same time, I feared for Axel's safety. Riku was fine. He even had the nerve to step up to Arson when he started flaring up. I just felt selfish. I guess going out now would be ok...

I tossed the phone atop the couch cushions and directed my eyes to the top of the flight of stairs, seeing mom banging on the door to the hallway bathroom like she wanted to break it down.

"Sora! What are you doing in there?"

"_Using the bathroom, mom!"_ Came a muffled reply.

"I knew that!" She said firmly. "You're taking too long! Your brother has to use the toilet!"

"_Tell him to wait a bit!'_

"No! You get out of there now!"

"Mom! It's ok! I'll just use the bathroom at Axel's place," I interrupted, slipping a small duffle bag around my shoulder. What? Oh, you were probably thinking I would just bring a day pack along. So, it turned out that Axel was free for both weekends. At least we had enough time to work on the project...right, work on the project.

This felt more like a sleepover, actually. Mom always insisted on packing my bag, stuffing toilet paper and emergency kits that I never touched in my life. I just ended taking them out before I left. But, I found it better if I took them along with me this time.

"Oh, so did you call him?" Mom called back, still leaning against the bathroom door.

I turned the doorknob and pushed the door open a crack. "No."

"What? So I hung up the phone for nothing! And you're not even gonna use the bathroom!"

"Sorry, mom! Gotta go!"

"Then what am I...ooo, you boy's are such a handful!"

I shut her voice away with the door and left her to go on screeching to herself. She was just being cranky. She always woke up early when cleaning days rolled by. I'd find her either scrubbing the bathtub, mopping the floor, or dusting all the furniture when I got up in the morning; and that was just her 'warm-up' as she called it. Girls...sometimes I wonder if they're put on the planet to clean. No...that and be a guy's lover. At least in some cases.

I didn't know what to think of the last week of October. Mom said that it was still fall season until the first week of November was over. I disagree. Halloween was over and this year, I didn't go. Miraculously, Hayner and Pence didn't either. They said it wouldn't be the same if I wasn't there to grab handfuls of sour gumballs with them. Around this age, I thought, teens started dropping the habit of childhood routines like watching cartoons, sleeping with stuffed animals, and trick-or-treating.

I thought that around this time, it was already winter. Winter in Twilight Town was always cold but never to a point where it reached snowing temperature. That's one reason I loved it here. The weather was always perfect. I used to think our town was perfect. Up until now, that is. This little world...it's far from perfection, just like every other one. There's still hatred and there's still passion. There're still believers and there's still those who give up.

My whole perspective on this place has definitely changed. On this world and its people. But no matter what I thought about them, I still thought this was my place. Even if I moved away, I'd just end up drifting back sooner or later. I just wished that my friends thought the same way. I hoped that they wouldn't drift from me...Hayner, Pence, Olette, Seifer even. They're the people that make this place: Twilight Town. That goes for Axel, too. Out of all the people close to me, I don't know what I'd do if he moved. And that's the truth..._I really don't know what I'd do_.

xxXXxx

I drew in a deep breath and nervously stepped up onto where I envisioned a welcome mat to be. It was more like empty, green, beer bottles that acted as my greeters. I took a moment to stare at them before glancing back up at the door, now catching the light scratches around the metal keyhole. I figured it was from the key slipping from an unsteady hand of a drunk.

"Ok, Roxas. It's now, or never...It's just two days of working on a project...not two days in prison...you can do this..." I really had to stop talking to myself. I gathered up my thoughts, pushing them to the back of my head, and lightly pressed down on the dull doorbell. I said dull because its tiny light was cracked and was burned out.

I sighed again and stared at my feet while tightening my grip on the leather strap of my duffel bag. Now I _really _felt stupid for bringing this bag. I swung forward and back on the tips of my toes and kept my interest on the floor. Don't tell me he was asleep...

I looked up and, just as I was about to ring the doorbell again, jumped back when I noticed that the door was wide open with Axel leaning in the doorway. He wore a white vintage polo, collar popped, with the first two buttons undone and a distressed pair of jeans with flecks of white paint lightly sprinkled over the faded blue. His cut seemed to be doing fine, he wasn't wearing a bandage, but I could still see some red. Even his bruising had healed. I wanted to ask if he was planning to go out for a special occasion but thought that would just make me sound dumb.

"Uh, hey," I said, actually struck dumb to see him _eating_.

He pulled the silver spoon from his mouth and grinned. "Thought you weren't gonna make it for a second."

"I tried to find your number. Y' know, just to check if you were in or not."

"Well, like you said, I don't really have any other place to be. Weekends are pretty much flat out boring around here." He stuck the spoon back into the scoop of strawberry ice cream and pushed away from the doorframe to walk back inside.

"So, Riku and your dad left?" Cautiously, I stepped foot into what looked like the living room. From where I was standing, a door to what appeared to be a closet was at my right while a small, black mirror/key holder was nailed to a wall at my left. Just ahead of me, I spotted a fairly large living room with nothing more than a coffee table and a black loveseat to the right wall, a cluttered bookshelf, and a plasma T.V to the left wall, and a dorm refrigerator.

I at least thought there would be some sort of clutter lying on the floor but, surprisingly, the carpet was a clean shade of sand. I guessed that they didn't have much money to afford to fill up most of the space they had but found it simple enough to be comfortable in.

I quietly shut the door behind me and followed Axel, watching while he flopped himself on the couch.

"Riku just goes with him 'cause he likes giving me some space. That, and," He scoffed, "he needs to control the old man's temper tantrums."

"Oh," I said and placed my bag beside the couch before sitting next to him. While I stared down at the papers and two text books on the table in front of us, I made sure to keep my space from him without seeming rude. "I guess you already started working on it, huh?"

"Hmm? Oh, yeah. Just research so far." He leaned forward to flip through a few pages of our school's text book. "Ok, teacher said to..."

"Pick a topic..."

"And it's gotta be one that's in this book and..."

"We can't pick one that someone else's got."

"After that, we just research and put together some kind of visionary. I think that's it, right?"

I shook my head and laid my cheek atop my hand. "Then both of us have to put together an essay about the work we did..."

"Great...essays..." He picked up the ice cream bowl again and began sucking on the spoon while he stubbornly leaned back into the couch.

"When's this thing due again?"

"Tuesday."

I glanced over my shoulder at him. "Seriously?"

"Seriously."

I copied him and fell backward into the seating with a groan. "High School's so unfair...!"

"Just think how irritating Riku's level is, man! Then there's college. Wonder how _that_ feels like."

"Think they're still teaching Sex Ed in 11th grade?" I asked curiously. He started sucking on another spoonful of ice cream and raised an eyebrow in thought.

"Dunno. But Riku knows a lot about it. Got a pretty good grade in that class."

"Geez, I can't believe we're _still_ partnered up in this subject. It's like a cursed lesson."

I felt the cushion move and looked in his direction to see him eying me in a teasing sort of way. "You don't like the fact that we're together in this?"

I felt a cold sweat coming on..."Uhm...I-I never said that!"

"Sounds like you're implying it, Roxy..." He roughly thrust a finger at my forehead.

"Roxy!" I blurted out, surprised by his sudden forehead pin.

"Well, the thing is, you're stuck in this thing unless you wanna flunk Sex Ed." He smiled evilly and pressed down harder.

"Ow! Ok, ok, I get it, I get it!" I yelled out and rubbed my head vigorously when he pulled back, laughing to himself.

"You're way too much, Roxas."

I growled at him and had this urge to want to tip his ice cream over his face. No, no. Keep it together, Roxas. Ice cream throwing equals bad. Remember that! Don't think it.

Instead of letting my evil thoughts get the better of me, I cleared my throat and reached for the Sex Ed packet that Mrs. Lockhart had handed out to us in the beginning of the year. Now that I think about it, the beginning of the year wasn't all that far away...

"What topic are we choosing then?" I asked, hiding my impatience.

"Mrs. Lockhart said that the reproduction topic's already been taken."

"Damn!" I cursed to myself and tossed the packet back onto the table. "That was probably the easiest topic to choose."

"I know. That's why everyone goes for it."

"Now what're we supposed to pick?"

"Aw, calm down, Roxas," Axel set the bowl atop a blank sheet of paper on the table and picked up the text book, setting it open to the first chapter in his lap. "How about we take the first topic I flip to?"

I didn't like the sound of that. There were a lot of topics I could think about, but didn't want to think about, that were creeping along those pages. What was worse was that Axel was here to look the topics over with me. I swallowed then shrugged once. "Guess so."

"You'd think that we'd be acting mature about this topic," He chuckled while flipping through the book at random with his thumb. Not chapter five...please! _Anything_ but chapter five...

"Please, _no one_ acts mature about it." I continued to eye the book eagerly until he froze towards a chapter to the front of the book. It couldn't have been chapter five, no way. Feeling confident, I straightened up and peered over his shoulder while he revealed our new topic...

"'_Chapter 5: Same Gender Sex.'"_ He read aloud and I shrunk back. I really had to stop thinking about games like this losing to my mind. This really _was_ a cursed subject. It turned out that the first four chapters were just _really_ short so it made it seem like he had flipped to the way front. Damn book.

There was a dead pause before Axel began laughing out loud. I slowly turned my head to face him. Are-you-in-sane? I wanted to ask him that so badly. How can you be _laughing_? And so I asked.

"How can you be _laughing_?" I said in a cracked voice.

"Wow..." He sighed and shook his head to the text book. "Imagine that."

"Didn't someone else pick it, though? Tell me someone did!"

"Sorry, Roxas. Think about it! Who in our class would pick this topic? That's what makes it an easy project!"

"Yeah, but, it's way out there, don't you think?"

"It's an attention grabber!" He shook his head again and finished off the last of his ice cream.

"You're so weird..." I grumbled and went on watching him. He must have caught me and cocked his head.

"You want some too?"

I blinked. "Huh? W-What?"

"It's just that you keep _staring_ at me whenever I'm eating this." He tapped the end of the spoon against the edge of the plastic bowl.

"Uhm...I...what?" I shook my head quickly. "Quit trying to change the subject! We've got a project to do you know." Angrily, I thrust my hand out and pulled a blank sheet of lined paper from the table.

"I know," He stood and began strolling over to the kitchen that was just in front of us through a small archway. "That doesn't mean we can't eat ice cream while we work, yeah?"

He really is weird. I couldn't recall anyone that I had met that changed as often as him. Changed as in he changed the topic often and he changed who he was from time to time. Maybe he has ADD or something like it. It's like he always wants to be entertained and when barely anything is happening, he insists on doing _something_. And that something could be anything. That's what scares me sometimes about this guy. But at the same time, it keeps me interested.

He disappeared around the corner and I gazed at the carpet for sometime, listening to him curse to himself when I heard something drop. Didn't he fear going in that kitchen? After all, his dad _did_ knife him. I didn't like thinking about it. The sight of blood, _his blood_, wasn't something I wanted to imagine.

"_Hey, yo, Roxas!"_

"Huh? Yeah?" I asked stupidly.

"_You know, Riku has these study papers from the ninth grade somewhere in a drawer in there. You see that file cabinet around there? Ah, crap, where's the...oh there it is..."_

Just beside the bookshelf was a black file cabinet that measured up to half the size of me. "Yeah?"

"_I think it's in the bottom drawer...owie!"_

"You...ok in there?" I questioned, peering around the corner just a bit.

"_It's fine! Just stubbed my foot on this thingy..."_

I laughed at his use of 'thingy' and slowly stood from the couch. Strangely, I didn't like the feeling of being in this room alone. Even though I knew that there was someone else here with me, it just felt like he was too far away. There must be something wrong with me to think that way. As he told me to do, I walked over to the other side of the room to where the file cabinet was.

"Bottom drawer you said?" I asked, kneeling down to reach the lower drawers.

"_I think..."_

Why did I have to do this? I hated this subject beyond explanation. But I couldn't flunk it. If I did, I'd just have to keep taking the same level of it over and over. Ok, so the thing was, I was stuck in this mess. What I didn't understand was why we couldn't just let the thought of sex teach itself? We didn't need to take a class! We didn't need demonstrations either! Ugh, school can be so confusing.

With the thoughts still in my head, I reached my hand out toward the bottom drawer only to find out it was locked tight with a bronze padlock. "Uh, Axel?" I began, lightly tugging at the handle.

"_Yeah?"_

"It's..." I must have tugged too hard. Suddenly, the drawer flung open with a rusted squeak and I nearly jumped back. "...locked?"

"_What?"_

"Uh, never mind! Nothing!" When he didn't reply, I released a short breath and stared down at the files inside. Ok, so, Riku liked his school work _that_ protected? Something told me that this wasn't the right place to look but I took my chances, thinking that if Axel caught me searching through a different drawer that he'd flip. I pulled the drawer open to view all of the contents: folders. Great, this would take forever. "Better start somewhere..." I whispered to myself and reached in for the first folder at the way back.

Pulling it out, I read the title, '_Riku's papers'_ and figured this was it. I shrugged and flipped the cover over to the back to look over the first sheet. Wait...documents? This didn't look like a homework assignment.

"_Name: Riku_

_Age: 1_

_Gender: Male_

_Place of Birth: Hallow Bastion_"

Hallow Bastion? Wasn't he born here? I read on.

"_Description: Riku was placed up for adoption one month after birth. Parents are currently unknown as for whereabouts and overall profile. Currently in need of both mother and father at this age. Hallow Bastion Federal Law requires that..._"

I paused, mouth agape and eyes widened in utter disbelief. Riku was...adopted? I wondered if he knew about this. I wondered if even Sora knew about it. And, from the looks of things, Axel didn't know anything. They both referred to each other as brothers, _twins_ even. So this cleared up the reason why they shared no relatively familiar traits aside from a bit of personality. I stared at the sentence again:

"_Currently in need of both mother and father at this age..._"

But they didn't have a mother. For all they knew, she could be dead or she never was born. At the top right corner of the page was a small, square photo of what looked like a one-year old Riku. His eyes were deep blue and his pale hair fell just over his ears. Below the picture was a black finger print that was boxed in. That still didn't prove it...right?

I hastily flipped to the next page, still failing to believe it. But there, at the bottom in black ink were three signatures; one being Arson's, one being a government official of some sort, and another was too indistinguishable. That right there was proof. Dumbstruck, I flipped back to the first page and read the paragraphs over and over again.

"_Payments received yearly._"

Payment...that's right. Don't parents who adopt get paid for adopting a child? This didn't feel right...

"_Did you find it, Roxas!"_

Suddenly, my heart jumped and I tightly shut the folder, making sure to neatly tuck the papers back inside to hide that it was even touched. "Uh...uhm...n-no! N-Not yet!" I called back.

"_Keep looking! Huh, you know, if you find any bad grades in there, keep 'em out so I can bug Riku with it when he gets back!"_

"Y-Yeah...sure..." I replied, not even sure about what he just said. I was too preoccupied with what I had just seen. This was bad...I just snooped around and stuck my nose into something I shouldn't have. This was a locked drawer anyway. Stupid Roxas! Why'd you have to be so curious?

"_Find it yet?"_

I was running out of time. Quickly, I pushed back the other folders and tucked the one I had just been reading into the far back where it was last. Hopefully his dad didn't have a fingerprint scanner 'cause then, this would _really be bad_. I slammed the drawer shut again and clicked the lock back the way it was. After that, I picked the drawer on top, relieved that it wasn't locked as well, and forced it open. "Uh, no! Hold up!"

"_Now?"_ He asked only a few seconds later.

"Ugh, will you just wait?"

"_Maybe you're the one that needs some help, Roxas!"_ He teased, his voice coming closer.

Finally, I managed to find it; and with only a few paper cuts. I pulled it free from the other assignments and wiped the sweat away from my forehead. "Got it..."

"Geez, are you _that_ desperate to ace this project?"

I straightened and spun around to see him standing under the archway to where the kitchen was. I forced a weak smile and held up the packet. "Er...found it?"

He shook his head and smirked back. "Maybe now would be a good time for a break, no?"

I glared at him awkwardly and stood from the ground. "Huh? What're you talking about? We haven't even done anything yet!"

"Ah! See, that's where you're wrong!" He called over his shoulder while he slipped back into the kitchen. "We picked a topic!"

"That's not what I was talking about!" I snapped. "Smart ass..." I muttered and shut the drawer behind me with the heel of my foot. Riku's handwriting was always sloppy back when we were still little kids. But, his grades were perfect...well, in most fields. At least he did well in math and, by the looks of these notes, Sex Education as well. Riku...there was more about him that I didn't know. The question was if he even knew about his past. I didn't feel like he would do much talking with me...seeing as both him and Sora were shut up for a while now.

"You coming, Roxas?"

"What? Can't we just get started?" I complained.

"It'll just be quick! Come on! We've got all weekend and Monday class period!"

Feeling whitewashed, I sighed heavily and dragged my feet across the carpet. "Coming..." I groaned and forced myself into the room where he was. When I entered, I saw him staring blankly into the freezer of a plain white refrigerator to my left. In front of me was a maple wood, square dining table with four chairs seated around. Being that color, maple, it was highly noticeable inside a kitchen with white counters, white cabinets, white walls, white floor and white appliances. They kept this place pretty spotless.

"Did you know that they made sea salt ice cream soft serve?" He asked, still staring into the freezer.

I scratched my head. "They...do?"

"I didn't know that...I should've had that instead! Guess Riku wants it all to himself so he keeps it in the back of the freezer." He reached in and pulled out a small, frosted tub of ice cream labeled, _Sea Salt Ice Cream_. Staring at it made my mouth water. I wasn't eating very well and, after all, it _was_ my favorite flavor of ice cream. "How's about we tick him off and steal a bit?"

"Ch, you're so evil," I scoffed and sat in one of the chairs while he started scooping.

"Nah, he won't notice. Only thing we can't touch in the refrigerator is the old man's booze."

I wondered why he called his own father 'old man' or 'he'. I never heard him refer to him as 'dad' or 'father' before. But I didn't find it that disrespectful. It wasn't like Arson deserved to be called by 'dad' anyway. I pictured my dad still alive. If he was still alive, I would have gone to him with all these questions. Then he'd flat out answer them for me. You're not like Arson, right, dad? I just wish that Arson wasn't like Arson...

I looked up when I felt something cold touching my left cheek. I moved back and nearly fell off my chair while all Axel could do was laugh. Frustrated, I rubbed my cheek with the back of my hand. "What was that for?"

He placed the ice cream on the table in front of me and shook his head. "I had to get you to quit daydreaming somehow!"

I glared at the ice cream then back at him when he, again, started sucking on a spoon. It reminded me of the way I saw a little kid eating ice cream; the way they flipped the spoon upside down in their mouth and stared around so innocently. I let out a small laugh and did the same with my ice cream. There were some things you gave up as a teen and there were some things that you couldn't help but keep.

"Oh, hey," He began, slipping the spoon out of his mouth, "How's your friend doing?"

"Friend?" I repeated slowly.

"Uhm...uh...the girl? What's her name...oh, yeah, Olette?"

Olette...I wished that he didn't have to bring her up. How was she doing? Truthfully, I didn't know at this point. All I knew was that she got home but she was badly shaken up. Poor thing...I pictured her sitting in her room next to her notes and camera, not bothering to even look at them. The newspapers didn't have her articles anymore, not since her incident.

I looked up at him for a bit then back to my bowl. "I'm not sure..."

"Oh. Demyx won't stop pestering us about the topic. He keeps saying that we can clear our names from the suspect list by figuring out who did it."

"Suspect list?"

"Yeah. Didn't you know? Just 'cause we're a gang and all automatically puts us up for questioning."

This didn't surprise me very much. I was actually one of the people in town that suspected them. And what he said was true: it was because they were a gang. I felt horrible though. "But it could be anyone."

"I know. That's why we're close to just giving up. Too many people...too many guys." He hopped up on the counter and began poking his ice cream with the spoon.

I stood and began pacing. Sucking on the spoon just helped me think better...sort of. I just liked the taste of the ice cream a lot. "I know what you mean...but you don't have to go out and do that you know," I said with my back turned on him.

He paused. "And why not?"

"Well, I...I dunno. You should just let the police take care of it."

"Yeah, but they take too long!"

"It's not like you're acquainted with her anyway..."

"Even so, I can earn your trust that way..."

"I...wha...?" Feeling another cold sweat, I blinked and cautiously turned my head to face him.

"Er, I mean, _we_ can earn other people's trust. Ya know, like, get a good reputation? Oy..." I caught a faint blush tinting his face just before he stood from the counter and he turned away.

Earn my trust? He's just hiding again...I thought we discussed this! You're not supposed to hide your words from me, remember? And you're the one that always tells me to remember things...

"Right...trust..." I said simply and shook my head to his back.

He raked a hand through his hair and sighed. "Yeah...anyway, it's just bugging me that no one's..."

In a split second when he turned, I was instantly greeted with a large spoonful of nearly melted soft serve smack in the middle of my face. I let out a girlish squeal and stared down at myself, watching the blue begin to stain the collar of my halfway un-zipped jacket. The thing was, mom insisted on washing all my black shirts so I had to wear a jacket; nothing underneath.

I spat out the melted ice cream and stared up at him holding a dripping spoon.

"Oops..." He said, eying me nervously. At least this time it was a _real_ accident and not a planned one. "Sorry...sort of slipped?" He chuckled feebly.

Oh, now he was in for it. This time, it was my turn to smirk at him and it was his turn to feel uncomfortable. I lowered my arms and picked up my bowl again from the table. "Slipped, huh?" I said eerily while taking hold of the spoon.

He noticed this and took a step back. "Uh...ha...about that..."

"Well then, oops!" Quickly, I pulled up a large spoonful of the ice cream and flung it at him, missing his face by a few inches. He moved back and glared back at me, his smile informing me that he liked playing dirty. While the ice cream slid from the top of his shoulder to the floor, he pulled up his own spoon.

"I guess I missed a spot!" He yelled out playfully and threw a glob at my face again.

"Gah!" I spat, shaking my head while sending drips of blue against the pale white surfaces.

"So-rry..." He said sarcastically but I came back, this time tossing what remained in my bowl at him.

"Haha! Look at your face!" I jeered and pointed at him, feeling my sides ache from laughing so hard.

"Yeah? Look at yours!" He thrust himself forward and smacked his hand on my face, sending even more of the ice cream into my sagging bangs. I tried to push him off but he just went on laughing at my misfortune. He still wasn't winning!

I slipped away and got behind him, pouring drops of the ice cream down his shirt.

"Shit!" He exclaimed and I laughed even harder.

"You deserved it!'

"You...!" He threatened me and turned. I expected him to throw more of the ice cream at me but he instead darted past me and pulled open the refrigerator. When he came back with two cans of whipped cream, I panicked and dashed into the living room, sticky drips of ice cream covering where I stepped. "You are so dead!"

"No, no!" I began running in circles while he kept at a fast pace behind me. It was to my advantage when he dropped one of the cans on the floor. I raced back and stole it away, taking the time to spray some on his face before dashing off again. "Yes!" I cheered but froze when we approached the coffee table. This was what I hated about playing games like this...

"There's no running now, Roxas!"

"Says you!" I was stuck on one end of the table while he was on the other. I moved to the right, he followed swiftly after me so I drew back. I took to the left, he did the same and I laughed, straightening myself with the can still in my hand. "Don't you just hate this?" That's right, get off track...

"Happens all the time...and all the time I win."

"Ok, fine. We'll just see!" I paused, then, without waiting for him to return a comeback, shot to the right. He nearly slipped and followed after me. That's when I crashed into him and both of us sent whipped cream flying at each other. "Ouch!" I said when he stepped on my foot.

"Huh? You ok?"

I pulled back up and nearly banged heads with him. Why was he so close to me? I thought we were supposed to be battling here...

With eyes narrowed, he stared down at me, panting like crazy. Even covered in ice cream he seemed to keep his cool image. I thought about spraying him now...it would work. He was off guard. Then why in god's name couldn't I? When a drip started sliding down his cut, I had this urge to lick it off..._badly_. Would that by any chance make the wound feel any better? It would probably make both of us feel pretty good...

I leaned forward, almost on tiptoe to reach, and stopped just before my lips touched his skin.

"Roxas...?" He whispered. That voice again...

No...I laughed and raised the can of whipped cream, pointing the tip of it under the back of his shirt. "Gotcha!" I pressed down and sent a large amount of it down his back.

"Aw, damn!" There, he changed again. I jumped back and ran into the kitchen. Seeing that he wasn't following me, I sighed and laughed to myself while sitting atop the counter. I ran my fingers through my hair only to get them caught in the stickiness.

"Gross..." I stared at my hand and shook the loose drops away. Wow, didn't this kitchen used to be white? I gazed down at the drying puddles of blue on the tile and rubbed my neck. "Looks like we're in trouble..."

"More like you!"

"Huh? Oh, crap!" I scurried to my feet and turned around back toward the living room but I wasn't fast enough. By the time I reached the edge of the dining table, Axel had caught up to me and forced me against the table, facing up at him. With the back of my head pounding lightly, I gaped up at his dripping face. He had my arms pinned down with both of his hands holding them in place. I left my legs to dangle over the edge and he too kept them in place, wrapping his own legs around them. He was still smiling...

We were left in a moment of stillness...I could only hear the faint sound of both of us panting for air. The coldness of the ice cream literally melted away when my skin began heating up. He spoke up, breaking the barrier of silence.

"Ha! That was fun, Roxas!" He said. At least he sounded pretty normal...then what was with this position? This wasn't adding up right.

"Y-Yeah..." I faltered.

"Didn't I tell you I always win?" He took the whipped cream bottle from my hand and shook it a bit. Since he released me, why wasn't I moving? I could have pushed him away now...

He giggled mischievously and pointed the tip toward my exposed stomach. Why couldn't mom just let me wear a shirt? I shivered when the cold liquid touched me. I pretended to act as if this was still a game.

"Heh, ok, you got me..." I said uselessly.

"Ha! So, who's the winner?" He asked, pointing to the side of his head.

I sighed. "You..."

"Very good," He said approvingly. He lowered his finger and gave me another forehead pin. "Commit it to memory, hm?"

I nodded and shifted underneath his hold. "Fine...just let me up!"

He laughed coolly and shook his head after bringing back his finger. "No...I kind of like watching you pissed off!"

"Weird!" I retorted but even when I attempted to get up, he just held me down harder and tighter.

"Hm, you've got cute eyes, Roxas..." He said, smiling softly now.

When he mentioned them, I looked away and blushed, not bothering to reply. Don't flatter me...don't do this to me. While I thought, I barely took the time to notice that his grasp was loosening. But when I did notice it, I didn't move. Just laid there...following his movement when he lowered his head to my stomach. That's all I could do...watch and keep still...absolutely still. Even when I felt something soft glide around my bellybutton, I didn't react...it felt warm, picking up the last of the cold substance.

"I...uhm..." I winced lightly, "Bathroom! I gotta use the bathroom!" I lifted my head and sat up. He just stared down at me and me at him. No, staring won't help...it won't. I pushed off from the table and walked at a quick pace toward the living room again, leaving Axel to just stare with that soft smile on his face.

**Originally, this chapter was supposed to be waaaaaay longer! But I figured, people would get bored and would run away yelling 'NO MORE!' so i cut it. XD i made the rest of this chapter as chapter 18 just to make it better. yeeee! wow...sugar is happy. ehehe. :D at least 10 more reviewys please! did i just say reviewys? O.o -runs away-**

**_your ever so questionmarkable,  
kokoro77 3_**


	18. Chapter Eighteen: Cherry

**Author's Note: Hello again! I apologize for the wait on the update! It's that time of the year where the parentals insist on summer reading and supply shopping. x.x and, as the loyal daughter, i must follow all rules. -shrugs- one of life's little things, neh? well, my friend and i got together today and, strangely, i had this urge to write _badly_ after that. i dunno:) as i say: kokoro is ever so questionmarkable. XD yes, cherry is an awkward thing to name a chapter, but, you can discover what that's all about in this chapter! -dances then falls asleep- weeeee... z.z**

Chapter Eighteen: Cherry

I tightly shut the door behind me and, before moving over to the sink, turned back around to lock it. Washed out, I slumped against the door and blew upward, letting my tangled bangs faintly blow. Staring in the mirror in front of me, I shook my head at the other me in the glass. His hair was drooping over his smoky eyes and his skin was tinting pink...just like me. His once clean, white jacket without the sleeves was stained with blue...just like mine. His expression: dazed, flushed, and dead beat...again, just like mine.

I scoffed. "Look at you...just look..." I pushed away and leaned over the sink to stare directly at the other Roxas.

Yeah, I'm looking...

"So, what do you see?"

Roxas...that's what I see.

"No...no, that's not Roxas. That's...it's someone I don't know..."

Sure. You're just denying it. Why are you running from him? It's not like you haven't kissed before, right?

"That's not the point! The point is that this is wrong. I'm not ready to be in this sort of situation."

That's not what I see, _someone I don't know._

"Don't kid me...I'm not in the mood."

Alright, what ever you say. But you'll figure it out sometime around. This isn't a nightmare like you keep telling yourself it is.

"Nightmare?"

It's not a nightmare. And the fact is, it...

"...it never was." I stared into the sink and let the water run over my hands and down my face. Water would never cleanse what I was feeling. All it ever did was help calm me down. When he was near me, I'd just wash it all down the drain, acting as if it never happened...but I'd still think about it. I'd still think about him a lot. _Water would never wash that away..._

"That's probably true...look, Roxas," I shut off the water and glanced back at my reflection, "accept it. You can't run from this forever...you told yourself you wouldn't run from him. You even told yourself that you would stop waiting for him...accept it...just let it go..." I sighed again and brushed away a few loose strands of hair that fell over my eyes. "Cute eyes, huh?"

What did he find so special about them? It's like he was talking like he had never seen someone look at him before. Let's see...they're blue. They're pretty big; not like other guys'. What else? Nothing. Then what's he talking about? He was probably just trying to get me off guard...weird. And what was he talking about, going off to look for the guy that raped Olette? Does he want some attention from me or just a better reputation around town? He couldn't care less about her...great, same old gossip; Roxas to Roxas.

Thinking about Olette, I reached into my pocket and pulled out my cell phone. Ok, technically Sora's old cell phone...mom wouldn't let me get one considering that I lost things easily. I flipped it open, taking the time to first look at the background with me and Hayner doing peace signs, and went to the phonebook.

_Ring_

_Ring_

_Ring..._

"_He-Hello?_"

"Hey, Olette, it's Roxas."

"_Roxas?_"

"Yeah. Just calling to check up..."

She weakly laughed. "_Oh, Roxas. Don't waste your time worrying about me!_"

"Come on, Olette. Just give me some info."

"_Everything's fine! I'm heading back to school on Monday. Nothing's out of place._"

"You sure?"

There was a pause.

"Hello?"

"_Hm? I'm still here._"

"So...you're sure then? Everything's ok?"

"_Yes. There, happy?"_

"I...guess?"

"_Hmph, good. Hayner and Pence are the same...they won't stop calling. Still...it means a lot that you do._"

"That's 'cause we're still worried about you."

"_Uhm, Roxas?_"

"Yeah?"

"_Where are you? I keep hearing this echo._"

"Uhm...ah...see, we've got this project at school..."

"_And apparently you're putting it together in a cave?_"

"Very funny."

"_Sorry. Go ahead._"

"I was partnered up with Axel. Hayner and Pence were already partners and we had to pick new ones." When she didn't respond, I went on. "We're just putting the project together at his house. I'm in the bathroom."

"_Who did you say?_"

"Axel...oh, I don't think you..."

"_A-Axel? You're at his house?"_

"Yeah...hey, are you ok?"

"_Uhm...what's that mom? Oh, ok! I'll be right there! Roxas, I've gotta go._"

"Oh, o..." She hung up the phone. "...k. Bye."

I flipped the phone closed and began twirling it lightly by its decoration chain. She sounded ok at first but, what happened? My suspicion was rising again no matter how much I tried to stop it. I found it strange that I couldn't hear her mom calling her on the other line just before she hung up. That wasn't like Olette. Normally, _I_ was the one that had to force hanging up on _her_ because she talked too much on any one of her regular conversations. I thought about going to see her...but I was stuck here. Maybe just for a bit...I'd make an excuse. Tell him...tell him I left something at home. Right, sounds good.

Drawing in a deep breath, I tucked the phone back into my pocket then quickly checked myself in the mirror to make sure I was at least partially dry. This time, I didn't have the time to have another introspective conversation. With that done, I reached for the doorknob, unlocked it, and then pulled it open.

"Do you really take _that_ long to go pee?"

As I took a step out of the tiled room, I took another back when I was greeted by Axel. He was leaning casually in the doorway with his typical bad boy face on. Why didn't I see this coming? It's ok, just stick to the plan.

I cleared my throat and maintained a stubborn face. "I just remembered that I left something at home."

He turned his face toward the living room and then back at me. "Is it important?"

"What does that have to do with anything?"

Lazily, he thrust his thumb to where he had been staring and I peeked around the door at a small window that served as the dim light for the near empty room. Outside, it had started raining. And, opposite from the other night, it was pouring..._hard_. So hard that I thought the drops would shatter the glass and so strong that I could already picture the wind forcing the doors down.

"Wouldn't want you getting sick, y'know." He pushed away from the frame and lightly ruffled up my hair. Wait...lightly? It seemed like he couldn't help but frustrate me by styling my hair in every direction possible. I waited for him to stop with my head lowered and my eyes downcast. He's definitely doing this on purpose.

"I guess..." There goes the plan. Olette just had to wait. I directed my eyes to the window and blinked a couple of times when flashes of lightning shot into my sight. When I looked back at him, it was the first time I realized that, in his left hand, he was tossing a bright red cherry up and down. How didn't I see that thing? Actually, the real question was why he had it in the first place.

"I was just thinking you wanted one," He said, throwing it higher before snatching it in mid air.

"Why?"

"Hello? Ice cream relates to cherries, right? You can't tell me you don't want one of these babies while eating ice cream!"

Is he being insane? Or is this just his version of being sane? Let's see, what if I checked for alcohol on him? He sure was acting like a drunkard. No. He wasn't allowed to touch his dad's booze. What am I saying? We've got a project to do!

"Axel," I began, "I think break time's over."

"Come on...you know you want it!" Playfully, he dangled the cherry by its stem and cocked his head as if he was a little kid bugging his older sibling. He sure was making it feel that way!

"Axel..." But no matter what I said, he just went on wagging it in my face until it reached a point where I nearly lost it. I rolled my eyes and shot my hand forward at an attempt to snatch it away. "Will you stop it?" I hissed.

He pulled back and shook his head. "There, see? I _knew_ you wanted it!"

"Ugh! Give me the damn cherry!" I tried grabbing for it but he just slipped away. I felt like a cat. You know, when you make it jump or chase a toy? So _this_ was what Namine's kitten felt like when I played with it on the street! I'd have to get around apologizing to it one of these days. "Dude! You're seventeen! NOT FIVE!"

"Doesn't mean I can't have a little fun, huh?" He broke out in laughter while I went about chasing him around the kitchen. I kept away from the table for two reasons. One, I didn't want to end up stuck there with him on one end and me on the other, and two, I didn't want him to trick me into another pin. He was smart enough to steer away from the ice cream and whipped cream on the floor. Unfortunately, I forgot about them and ended up staggering on my feet. Around the one millionth time of slipping and running around in circles, I stopped beside the counter top, panting desperately for air.

"You...you...you don't know...when to...give up, do you?" I bent over and glared up at him when he came to a stop in front of the refrigerator.

"Aw, don't get tweaked."

"Well here's the thing, I-AM!"

He shrugged and innocently rubbed his neck while staring at me. "Alright. If that's how you feel..." He popped the cherry in his mouth, leaving the stem to poke out.

Suddenly, my eyes widened and I panicked. "No!" Slipping on the puddle again, I ran full speed toward him. He didn't even notice and went on chewing the stem. We were nearly inches away from each other when I leapt forward and ended up slamming my body, and Axel, into the refrigerator, causing it to almost tip over. The running was causing my body to heat up and sweat began beading my forehead. His heart was slow...his breathing was slow. I liked feeling his body move beside me...I liked it.

"Ro-Roxas?" He said when I kept my head pressed against his chest.

He was picking up speed. I panted and allowed the sweat to roll down my face. What should I say? What should I say?

"You wanted it that badly?" He laughed and I clung onto his shirt loosely. I liked feeling his laughter too. I always wanted to feel it...I always wanted to feel _him_.

"No..." I whispered into his chest. No? Then why _di_dI force myself on him? Was it because I just wanted to? I thought back to my reflection. I can't run...I shouldn't feel like I want to.

We were silent for a while, just letting reality slip away. The rain outside was still keeping a fast pace and the lightning went on striking. If I was at home, mom would have been constantly checking up on me in my room. It was like that ever since Sora and I were little. She just thought we were afraid of the rain. She called it 'motherly instinct'. So, if I was with Axel right now, what was this? I guess, 'just being close'? Just being close...

I spoke up after what felt like several minutes. Although, in a way, the silence wasn't so bad. When we weren't speaking, I just felt like, for once, both of us were laid back. Not arguing, not playing rough-house, and not even confused. What if we were always quiet, I wonder? No, I still wanted to hear ourselves speak. I still wanted to keep guessing what he would say and how he would say it. Is that wrong? _Nothing's wrong with you, Roxas_.

"To tell you the truth, I don't know what influenced me to run into you like that." I pressed myself harder against him. It's almost like I don't want him to leave...

"Really?"

I nodded.

Another pause. Ever since I met him, he never waited so long to speak. He never turned away from a conversation without having the last words to himself. What's wrong with you, Axel? Is this fear I'm seeing?

"There's a little saying, you know," He started. "If someone can tie a knot with a cherry stem, it makes them a _really great kisser_."

My heart jumped in my chest. I hoped he didn't feel it...what am I saying? I actually _did_ want him to. This is a first...don't screw this up. Don't let him get to your head again. Take the stage, _now_.

I lifted my head for a moment and glanced up at his face. For a while, he gazed back at me. Slowly, I followed the red stem of the cherry slipping out from between his lips. He pulled it free with his hand and revealed to me a perfect knot in the middle. I can honestly say I was amazed...and exhilarated.

"You believe those sayings?" I asked quietly. I barely even recognized my own voice.

He stared back at me. "Not really." And he tossed the stem behind my back, acting as if he was the more dominant.

"Well why not?" Steadily, I began inching up on tip toe just to get my chance at meeting his eyes levelly. While doing so, I made sure to keep my fingers clamped to the fabric in his polo. He must have noticed my sudden increase in height and his eyes widened. That's it...

"W-What about you? You believe in those things?"

I smirked slightly and leaned forward. This was the first time he appeared a lot tinier than me and it felt rather pleasing. Now who's got the upper hand? "There's always a possibility, right?" I made sure to keep my voice near mute.

His widened eyes softened then gradually narrowed. He kept completely still except for his heart that was beginning to race in beat with my own. "Roxas...?" He whispered.

We were centimeters away from touching. I still had this. "Hm?" I replied rather cleanly.

"What...happens now?"

I was hoping he would ask such a thing. There was no need for words to describe it. All I needed to do was _go for it_. Now, while I still had control. I forced my lips greedily with his and brushed the tip of my tongue against his lower lip. He responded instantly and did the same for me. I could literally feel him shrinking underneath me and I could have sworn that his body was shaking. I couldn't hold back anymore. Anxiousness rushing through my body, I delved deep into him and wrapped my arms around his neck just to keep balanced. The tingle of his hair touching my bare skin gave me bumps and I couldn't help but comb my fingers through it when he twisted up his tongue with mine.

I could still take in that scent: fire and metal combined. Even mixed with sea salt ice cream and cherries was that scent overpowering. Man, was it driving me insane! So insane that I almost lost my moment of control over him. Hayner said we were friends...that's not true. We're not even best friends. No, friends wouldn't do such amazing things like this to you.

We went on exchanging heat. Mouth to mouth, body to body. Even the sound of the rain seemed to cancel out. All my senses were becoming too obscured.

"Who...who are...you?" Axel hissed in between another deep one. I was able to catch his weak tone wrapped around his wild panting.

"Mn..." Was all I could reply to it.

"And what...what did you do...with Roxas?"

I, too, was at a need for air. That, and I was at a need for water. My throat felt unbelievably dry like he had taken the last bit of air from my lungs. I stopped so suddenly that he seemed to twitch in alarm.

"Silly..." I scoffed and kissed him again. "This _is_ Roxas..." I wanted to hear him show me he liked what I was doing. Carefully, I inched toward his ear and whispered, "...I'm just a really turned on one..." I didn't have the time to believe what I had just said. I didn't even think that Axel had the time to let the thought enter his mind since he just locked us together again with a restless sigh that hinted me that he was so desperate.

I didn't want to seem desperate for him, fearing that if I did that he would just steal away his place at the top. Instead, I wanted him to feel weaker than he already was. I knew it...just by the look on him; I knew he was just about ready to collapse. While he began toying with me again, I reached for the last few buttons on his shirt that remained shut and, one by one, started to un-do them. I never expected to get this far with intimacy...especially with someone I never assumed I would _care for this much_.

I went on distracting him, pushing deeper into his mouth, more than willing to increase speed.

"_R-Roxas..._" His voice was quivering as was his body. Roxas? What about you? Is this really you that I'm feeling? You're shaking...

I wondered if he was embarrassed...

I left the last two buttons closed. My fingers were trembling all too much for me to even grab hold of him. When he didn't seem to notice a thing, I let my hands do as they pleased. Gently, I brushed my finger tips against his wet skin. An almost indistinguishable gasp was released into me and instantly, Axel slowed almost as if he was at a loss of what to do.

My fingers slipped around his naval. That's it, stay like that...just like that. I couldn't see him...I pictured his expression. Are you pleased? Are you afraid? I refused to open my eyes. He'd let me know...sooner or later he'd hint to me how he was feeling.

I let my fingers fall limp and slowly brought his bottom lip in between my own, licking him shyly. Those vibrations I'm feeling...I feel dizzy..._Axel_...

There was a sudden crack of thunder just behind me and I shuddered, pulling away from him for just a moment. But I could still taste him. I could still feel his heat and sweat on my fingertips. He was so _good_...

With my hand still pressed atop his half exposed stomach, I was able to feel his breathing pushing against me. My head was pounding but not in a painful way. My stomach felt as if it went through several turns. Not only that but one specific part of me felt immensely hard...

"Roxas..." He said in between gasps for air.

I cracked both eyes open. My curiosity was getting the better of me. Axel's eyes went on burning as they normally did when he stared directly at me. The shadow of the raindrops rolling down the window fell over his distressed body. Who would have thought that something as simple as a chase would lead to this? This...

Was it wrong to feel a bit disappointed? No, not at the kissing. Not at the touching. Though I loved the fact that he went along with me, I expected more. He could have at least given me a way of showing he was reaching his high point. Was this real? Did I really feel him weak? Did I really hear myself speaking so seductively in his ear?

"Damn..." He cursed in a raspy voice.

With my eyes still lazily narrowed, I gazed up at him. Attempting to speak didn't seem possible. Nor did it seem needed.

He went on panting through parted lips and gradually started straightening himself with the aid of the refrigerator behind him. I still found him attractive. I still couldn't take my mind off of his unique personality and body. And because of that, I felt like I had to ask him everything.

"You're...crazy...you know that?" He said while wiping away a drip of sweat that began sliding down his cut. By the sudden twisted look on his face, I knew that it still hurt. That was the last thing I wanted...for him to feel that way.

I swallowed, which was hard because my throat was so dry, and carefully eased my weight from his body. "I guess we both are."

At that moment, that smile returned. My eyes sparked with great interest when I saw it. His eyes fell into my own. They were so bright and soft as if he was on the verge of crying. I couldn't picture him crying. It's not an 'Axel thing' I guess you could say. He just went on smiling, delicately and sweetly down at me then reached forward until he was able to place his hand atop my head.

A tiny tremor ran up my spine then, at once, my breathing settled. It was so soothing to feel him touch me that way. The way his fingers tangled up in my hair and lightly caressed my cheek made me tingle pleasantly.

"You're a mess," He said, a little laugh mixing in with his words.

I gave off one of my own and, embarrassed, ran my fingers through my bangs. Right...the whole ice cream thing. But what about him? He's just as messed up.

"I know."

"You go use the shower. You don't wanna wake up in the morning with all that crap over you." He pushed off from the refrigerator and lightly pushed my back, facing me in the direction back to the bathroom door. "Go on."

I laughed again and took a step forward. "Since when are you my mother?"

"Don't make me hit you!"

I took off at once when he threatened me with a raised palm. Still, this was all fun and games. He just laughed and I did the same. Laughter...I used to miss it. I used to want nothing else but hear it.

I paused just before I stepped into the room and gave a halfway glance over my shoulder. Suddenly I felt shy. I guess, over time, my mind was starting to come to. And, now that I was thinking about what we had been doing, and that _I_ was the one that started it, I felt hesitant.

Still feeling that same way, I stepped into the bathroom, flicked on the light, and shut the door behind me, shutting him away. But, like I mentioned before, I couldn't stand being alone in one place.

I left the door unlocked.

xxXXxx

Roxas was still there, standing right in front of me as if he was waiting for my return. Only this time, he no longer held that expression of being lost and he no longer appeared so small. Yes, his outfit was still stained with blue. But that was different. He stared back at me.

Thought about it?

"About what?" Even my voice appeared to change in one short moment. How to describe it? I wasn't as feeble as before. What to call it? Normal? Do I really sound normal?

If this is really a bad dream you're living in.

I paused and shook my head at the reflection. Not this again. Ignoring the mirror for now, I placed my PJs on the countertop and strode over to the shower. It was small and nearly reached the ceiling with its silver edges and clear glass door. I was so eager to feel the water on my skin again. My whole body twitched.

Quickly, I unzipped the stained jacket, folded it, and tossed it on the counter. From there I began slipping my khakis off then threw it atop the jacket. That just left my boxers. I sighed and took a second to stare back at the door. What was I thinking?

"Don't be paranoid, Roxas..." Even so, I still felt that way. Thinking about him made my lips tremble and my body return to heat. I can't keep confusing myself like this. I can't keep switching from one feeling to the next. I used to blame becoming a teenager for my behavior. Then I took it out on my eating habits. But, I never used to switch this much. Now I blamed it all on lust. It felt strange even thinking that word.

Finally, I was able to force myself to pull the door open and step inside the tiled area. Just for the heck of it, I left the boxers on. It wouldn't be so bad, right?

I took hold of the silver knob and turned it closer toward the red 'H' sticker on the right. The shower head gave a tiny sputter before drenching my body in cold water. I didn't much care that it was cold. I figured it would just help decrease my increase in temperature. Just wash it away...

I glanced down at my feet, watching the light pigment of blue follow the flow of the water down the drain. My body fell limp and my muscles gradually began to relax under the weight of the shower. I released a satisfied sigh and began washing my arms.

Thinking back on Axel seemed like a hobby to me now. I thought about him a lot even when other things floated through my head. It was like: 'Ok, what should I get? What would Axel get?' or, 'Would he pick this answer?' He really must be an obsession of mine. I even recalled staring at him like some peeping tom in the gym shower room. What were you thinking back then, Roxas? I know...I was just thinking about him. That's all.

Does he think this much about me? I wonder...

"Probably not," I scoffed and reached for the soap holder to my left. My fingers felt around the slippery tile for some time before I was finally able to realize that there was nothing there. Breaking away from my thoughts, I turned to where my hand was and noticed that there was no soap. What?

"How can there be no soap in here?" I tucked a drenched strand of hair away from my eyes and turned to the shower door to see if there was a bar on the counter. Just my clothes...and...

"A-Axel!" I nearly slipped on the water when I spotted him sitting casually on the countertop. Doesn't he ever find something else to do? He could be working on the project! "What the hell!"

He looked up at me innocently through the dripping glass, the only surface that kept us apart. "Just waiting my turn," He replied.

"Can't you wait outside?" I asked, pushing away from sounding impatient. I was right. He is like a little child. A small smile formed on my lips.

"I'll get bored."

"Work on the project?" I implied calmly.

He shook his head. "I can't do it by myself, y'know. Wouldn't be fair." He kept his sight directed to me. What are you so interested in? Wait a minute...

A faint blush tinted my face and I looked away, pretending to wash my other arm. He's probably looking at my body...why? Ok, just act natural. Really, act normal! Just put on that same face like earlier! There, now keep it there!

"Hm? Why isn't the glass all fogged up?" He asked. I heard something thump against the floor behind my back.

I cleared my throat. "The water's not hot. But it's fine! I like it this way..." At least, I thought so.

"Hey, are you out of soap?"

Random. "There wasn't any when I got in here." I blankly stared at the empty soap holder.

"Well, then, here." I heard something being ripped open followed by muffled footsteps against the tile. I tried not to panic. What ever happened to acting normal?

Normal...right. I straightened my face and slowly turned to where the sound of the footsteps was growing closer. Through the running water against the glass, I saw him waiting just outside the door, tossing a new bar of soap in his right hand just as he had been doing with the cherry. It was all too familiar. But, if it was so familiar to me, why was it that I couldn't predict what he was about to say or do? He just keeps me guessing.

"Uh...thanks..." I wasn't even sure that he had heard me since the water nearly drowned my voice.

He just grinned and, just as I _didn't _expect him to do, took hold of the handle and popped the door open. The air from outside suddenly caressed my skin. It was cold, even colder than the shower, and I suddenly had an urge for the water to heat up. By the time goose-bumps trailed up my arms, Axel had left the door just wide enough for him to fit through. He took advantage of it and stepped foot inside.

I uneasily took a step to the opposite side. "What're you doing?" Strangely, my voice was far from an uneasy state opposite from my body's reaction. It still retained that hint of calmness and pleasure from before.

He pulled his whole body in then shoved the bar in my unsuspecting hand. I grasped it, just in time before it slipped, and went on staring at him. "Giving you the soap, what else?"

"You could've just stuck your hand in here." I rolled my eyes and absently began running the bar up and down my arm.

"Roxas, do you _always_ take a shower like this?" He asked from behind me.

I stared at the drain, watching the bubbles fall through and out of sight. What am I supposed to say? The truth? Or is it better to lie? So, I asked myself the same type of question that I usually asked. _What would he want to hear_?

"No." He'd want the truth, right? After all, I wanted the truth from him. We had to be fair.

He scoffed and my heart jumped when he rested his chin on my shoulder. "Hm...ah, that's why it's cold in here!"

"What?"

He pointed to the shower nozzle where the red 'H' was marked. "You turned it wrong."

"Excuse me?"

"See, I played this little prank on Riku when we were little." He stretched his arm out toward the nozzle and turned it toward the blue 'C' on the left. Now that I thought about it, it was weird that the letters were stuck on different sides.

"Uh-huh..." I began fiddling around with the soap in my hands.

"So, I switched up the stickers to get him all confused. Then when he got in the shower and turned it to the 'H', he ended up getting drenched in below freezing water!" He laughed to himself while I simply kept one eye brow raised up at him.

"Poor Riku. If I knew he got so much torture from you, I would've..." I caught myself. I had wanted to say 'I would've adopted him into my family' but I didn't want to raise suspicion. What if Axel knew? What if he didn't? I didn't want to take my chances and pretended to forget what I was going to say.

"Same old clueless Roxas," He said and pushed away from me just as the water was beginning to heat up. I felt slightly uncomfortable with his damp clothes brushing with my nearly naked body. I just went back to soaping myself although my mind went adrift from it. He's behind me...and he's not leaving...

"Uh...ha...yeah," I replied.

Another one of those pauses tangled us up and, again, I tried to predict what was coming up. I thought I told myself I wouldn't do that anymore! There's no use in trying to avoid it. I guess, when someone thinks a lot about a relationship, and a first one, things become hectic in their head.

"There...feel better?"

I paused and went on playing with the bar of soap when I nodded. "Yeah. Thanks."

"It's nothing...really."

That's when my senses shot up and rattled my body and mind. Just by feeling him behind me I could imagine what he was doing. I easily straightened my back and froze under the warmness of the makeshift rainfall. He started just above my waist level and traced the line of my spine with his finger while moving upward. He was so gentle with his touch unlike before when he would force me into what ever he desired. I liked that. I liked this gentle side of him. What made it better was that it was almost as if he only showed it to me and me alone.

"Ah...nn..." I couldn't say a thing. Useless sounds were all I needed to show him.

"I couldn't wait for you...you just..." He quickly pulled his finger away from me. Just when I thought he would leave me, he came back with his arms dangling over my shoulders. I stared down at his hands affectionately and slowly took one of them into my own.

"I what?" I asked quietly, eyes narrowed.

I let him pull me back. I let myself fall into him and I let his embrace gently tighten. Who would hold me this way? No one I knew would do this to me. I wanted it to be forever.

"You just kept me attracted to you, Roxas." He gently nuzzled the top of my head.

"So, you tell me," I began, "What happens now?"

I became disappointed when his arms fell back to his sides and away from me. I almost grabbed hold of them but let him go. The wet skin under the seeping fabric made my body feel so loose. My eyes felt heavy and I swayed to one side when he took a second to lightly touch my hip.

"We'll see. I'll wait for you a little bit. Just promise me you'll hurry up, hm?" With a quiet chuckle, Axel pushed away from the wall and exited the shower, leaving me to just stare at him.

"Ok..." With that said, he shut the bathroom door behind him, soaking wet.

What happens now? Anything could happen in the late of night. One chance...that was all I had to show him anything and..._everything_.

He's all mine.

**wenk, that was all i had for today! i've started a bit on the next chapter so please be on the lookout for it! lemony...**

**oh, yes, one last thing, for those of you that are asking if you can draw fanart for this story, I say: let your creativity flow! hehe :D i'm so happy for that and, i'd be even happier to see how you all portray this story. but, please make sure to add credit for the story? e! i don't want to seem pestery but, if you could do that in your drawings, that would be great! thank you all and, at least 10 more reviews please! once again, i'd LOVE to see your work:D**

**_much hugs for you all!  
kokoro77 -is falling asleep- :)_**


	19. Chapter Nineteen: AXE

**Author's Note: Wah! School started yesterday! cruds! -pouts and flings book at computer screen- meep. i fear for homework this year but I SHALL ATTMEPT TO SURVIVE! well...here's the sad thing: being in a new grade with new stresses and new curfews, updating stories isn't really the norm anymore ;-;. i know; about a million of you are cursing at me for not updating for weeks on sex ed and others are pelting things at me for not updating center of fire for at least two months! well, you really have every right to be! let's see...i have reasons: ahem... **

1) school supply shopping  
2) having friends over before school started  
3) citrus chapters are dificult to write! or maybe i just suck:(  
4) school started  
5) summer reading  
6) sleepiness...i'm sorry! -bows-

well, i PROMISE, PROMISE, PROMISE...that i will update these two stories as best i can! PROMISE! YOU HEAR ME? ahem...yes...XP i'm really sorry for my lack of updates and, for all i know, flames should be shot my way for this. ;...;

Chapter Nineteen: AXE

Ok, maybe thinking that Axel was _all mine_ was a bit weird. In fact, when I began pulling my clothes on after the shower, I was sheepishly smiling about it, and, as always, Roxas was smiling along with me. I can honestly say that thinking isn't my greatest ability. So, thinking hard about things could definitely give me a concussion or a brain lapse.

The shower felt better than I expected it to feel with the water cold. With the heat turned up, I felt less tense and I swear I would have melted if he hadn't been behind my back to catch me. Thinking back on him now, I remember how strange I feel to hear and see him content. I remember how strange I feel when he touches me so tenderly like I'm something so precious to him.

Maybe I am.

Most of my thoughts about our project were still on my mind but I didn't feel like it was as important as before. Also, I didn't feel as nervous about the topic. Is it possible to change so drastically just by being near him? I guess so...

I wonder if he's thinking the same thing. What exactly _is_ he doing right now?

I brushed my bangs with my comb and stared at the door behind me through the mirror. Everything seemed quiet...that is for the exception of the rain.

Thunder, lightning, rain...I wonder when it'll stop. I wonder if he's afraid of storms like this. Nah, probably not. If he was he'd be cooped up in here clinging to my leg.

I laughed to myself when I pictured that then set the brush down atop my stained clothes.

"What happens now...?" I asked, letting my voice bounce off the walls and back to me. Axel's voice at that time sounded distant. But even so, I still knew who he was. Just by pressing myself onto his body was I able to literally connect with him. I raised my hand up to my chest and clung onto the white fabric of my night shirt. What else was there to hold?

Axel wasn't in the room. But I wanted him to be.

Letting off a sigh, I brought back my hand and tucked my things under one arm. "If you want something so badly, go for it." And I walked out.

xxXXxx

"I should've known a flashlight would be necessary..." I whispered while stumbling through the darkness. Even the faint moonlight from the living room window wasn't helping me much. All I had were my ears. I would just make an idiot out of myself if I screamed something like: 'Axel! I'm lost!' or 'Who turned out the lights?'

Reaching the point of high frustration, I slammed my foot on the ground after stopping where I assumed was a small hallway. "Axel!" I said in a raised whisper, "Where's your frickin' room!" Immediately, I slapped a hand over my mouth and stared blankly in front of me. Wait...what did I just say? His _room_!

Ok, Roxas, tell me _why_ you would want to find his room? Out of all things! _His room_. Smooth...what if he heard you? What now? Ok, just think straight. Think of something else to ask...

As I parted my lips to speak, I was interrupted by a sudden reply that sounded fairly close to where I stood. "_Ugh, finally! I thought you'd never get out of there!_"

I raised my head, feeling slightly excited, and shifted my eyes toward the voice's direction. "S-Sorry..."

There was another one of those devilish chuckles. I recognized that tone. Do I really amuse him so much? Hearing it through the shadows nearly caused me to jump. I expected to see him try and tackle me afterward. I don't know. Maybe I'm just missing the Halloween spirit.

"Guess the power went out," Axel said while pulling out of the dark in front of me. I could still barely see his skin through his polo considering that he was still wet. He probably didn't see me gazing up at him. Either that or he didn't much care. We both did that a lot to each other that it was like second nature.

"It's pretty crazy out there."

"Might prevent us from leaving the house tomorrow. Not like we've got anything to do, right?"

"Uh...y-yeah." My whole body went cold. I guess it was because the heater had turned off. Or maybe it was just because I had laid eyes on him again. His eyes always caught my attention. Even in the dark, they shot through so brightly like broken glass. If my eyes were cute to him, how was I supposed to explain his?

"You go set your stuff in my room," He paused then laughed a bit, "Oh, right, kind of too dark to see, huh? Just go straight then feel around the left wall. It'll be the only room with a desk light on."

"But you said the power's..."

"Battery operated," He interrupted.

"Oh, ok..." And he was gone again. I slumped forward and began dragging my feet across the carpet. Couldn't he at least wait for me to finish what I had to say? Guess not. Like I said, he never permitted the last words to anyone else. Just himself.

Making way forward, I hoped he wasn't just playing a trick on me. What if there was a wall just a few steps forward? Damn, would I slap him for that! It's actually weird that I'm looking for his room. Before coming here, I thought that I'd be forced to spend the night on the couch or on the floor. Wait a minute, who said I was spending the night in his room?

Just before approaching the first door to my left, the only room with a faint light peeking underneath, I froze my hand atop the doorknob. No one told me I was going to sleep in this room specifically. Then again, being alone on the couch didn't sound comforting.

With a relaxed sigh, I turned the knob and slipped inside. The fact that the place was drenched in some sort of strong cologne signaled something bad...at least for me.

xxXXxx

How can I be acting like this? It's like I haven't been in a room, let alone indoors before.

His room was noticeably smaller than mine; probably half the size and more square. It reminded me of a dorm...a surprisingly _neat_ dorm with subtle red paint.

With my body inside, I was nearly five steps away from touching the bed with ruffled, cream colored sheets. Across from the foot of the bed was a sliding mirror closet with random sticky notes and photos taped on the surface. Just ahead of me on the other side of the bed was a white desk with nothing but a navy blue drawing light that served as the soft lighting since there were wooden blinds blocking out the moon.

When I took another step forward, I caught sight of my duffle bag sitting atop one of the pillows. I figured he must have moved it there and I simply shrugged it off. If we hadn't gotten so _close_ earlier, then I imagined I would have ran out of the room fuming at myself then, later on, at him. No, I just flat out wouldn't have gone in his room. But here I was, waiting for Axel to come back.

He _did_ say we'd have to wait to see...to see what would happen. This question was growing more and more confusing by the minute. But every second I was growing more attached to it. It's just who I am: curious. Oh yeah, and stupid. And to think that's my number one rule to _not be stupid_.

I threw the duffle bag on the floor at the foot of the bed along with my clothes and lazily flopped myself on the mattress. Was this memory foam? Feels nice. It's probably why his posture's so straight. I should think about getting one of these.

I curled myself into somewhat of a ball and snuggled into the cool sheets. They, too, had that strong scent. It was bugging me that I couldn't tell what brand it was. You'd think I'd remember the name of it since I hated it so much! Actually, _used _to hate it. The strange thing is, I actually find it _nice_ now.

I inhaled deeply and tugged at the sheets with my fingers. Lately, I've been having this urge to hold onto something. I had a pretty good feeling I knew what it was that I wanted to grasp but, in order to do that, I had to wait.

Axel...

"Would falling asleep be weird?" I asked myself sleepily. My eyes were already beginning to droop. I knew that smelling this scent would get to my head. Already I was feeling dizzy. Time felt like it was slipping out of my body. I didn't know how long it had been since I had arrived on his doorstep. I didn't even know how long it had been since I had set foot into high school for the first time.

How long has it been since I've had a real get together with Hayner and Pence? How long ago was it that dad died? When was the last time I...felt this...good?

"Nn..."

"_What're you doing asleep, Roxas?_"

My eyes fluttered open and met with a blurred outline of someone hovering over me. "Huh?" Wait...did I really fall asleep? I had asked if it would be weird...and it wasn't. Was it the mattress? Or was it the fact that Axel was massaging my forehead? What ever the reason, I loved it. A faint smile curved my lips while he went on rubbing my temples.

"Thought I told you to wait for me, hm?"

I scoffed. "Feels good..." I left my eyes halfway open just enough to stare up at his soft face.

Axel's fingers slowed then eventually came to a stop when he raised his head. I quirked an eyebrow and disappointedly remained laid down on the mattress. I remembered how cold I had been feeling a while ago and suddenly my body twitched. Obviously it would be awkward if I forced myself under the covers. I wasn't even sure if I was going to sleep here...in this room. Well, technically, I already did. But Axel didn't seem to mind. He's just sitting there...staring at his door...frozen.

I blinked and shifted my head to one side. "Axel?" I whispered. My voice was so relaxed.

At the sound of my voice, his eyes sparked and he immediately forced them in my direction. "Huh? What?"

"What're you doing?" I turned over and lay down on my stomach, still facing him.

He just shook his head and a thin smile curved upward. "Living?"

I rolled my eyes as he pushed away from the bed and began strolling over to the closet. When my vision adjusted to the dark, the moonlight peeking through the cracks in the blinds became clearer yet still faint. The glow was just strong enough for me to follow the tan color of Axel's upper body moving toward the glass. No shirt...? "Besides that," I replied serenely, my narrowed eyes still stuck on him.

"Dunno really. It's just one of those random moments where you stare off into space for a bit; know what I mean?" I heard the sound of wheels turning and figured it was one of the closet doors opening. There was a moment of silence before the sound of something being sprayed caught my attention.

"What're you doing now?"

The spraying stopped. And when it did, an even stronger scent of the cologne hit me so hard that I nearly choked. I coughed once but tried not to overreact.

"Ah, just some spray I put on once in a while..."

Once in a while? How can it be 'once in a while' if your whole room stinks of it? I wasn't sure I believed him but tried not to let it become a crisis. With a light jump, Axel settled back onto the mattress and began lounging out on his back. Bad move. Why so bad? He was literally drenched in silver light. I could fully see him now: slender body, firm muscles, sharp eyes..._amazing_.

I slowly rose and knelt down...just staring down at him. He couldn't see me. He was too wrapped up in thoughts on the ceiling to even remember my existence. I wanted to tell him what I was thinking right now. So that means...tell him I _love him_?He might just stare at me and turn away. Sooner or later...sooner or later I'd have to let him know what was on my mind. Just like earlier, I wanted to show him everything. I wanted to tell him everything.

_I need to hold something..._

"Sora's used it before..." I trailed off. I really don't know why.

"Riku told me 'bout that," He laughed, "AXE just doesn't work with tweeners."

That's what it was! I knew I recognized that scent but I just couldn't put my finger on the name. I took a second to stare up at the ceiling, relived that I solved at least _something_ today, and then fixed myself down at him again. "It's not something Sora can stick with. Makes him seem like he's trying too much."

"Ha, fits me pretty well, huh?"

I froze. What was I supposed to answer? Right...what would he want to hear? The truth, right? Right. For once, I actually thought clearly without the intense introspection. "Yeah."

He fell silent and so did I. It's like he's at a loss of what to say about my compliment. He's not blushing...maybe it's too dark to see any pink. I wondered if he was thinking as hard as I usually did. Every few seconds, he'd either quirk an eyebrow or a disturbed expression would twist his face. Yeah, he was definitely thinking too hard.

I still couldn't take my eyes off of his body. That's what stole away my icy feeling and replaced it with intense heat. I didn't even mind that my legs were going numb under the weight of my body. All that I bothered to think about was touching him...holding onto him. I had to. I had to experience that same temperature as before...

Already there were images momentarily flashing by my mind, occasionally canceling out my previous thoughts. In each image, I saw him. I saw red. I saw steam. I heard nothing but heavy panting. Maybe that was just me. I was losing control.

Now my hands had a mind of their own and my head was clouded with pictures. Each time they flashed by, I couldn't help but increase in eagerness and lust. I had to see those pictures in the real life. Just go for it. For a moment, my fingers lingered centimeters away from Axel's hip. He still didn't catch me. Good. I took one last second to shift my smoky eyes at his face. So far so good. Finally, I brushed my middle and index finger along his skin and steadily slid up toward his navel.

He flinched but I went on. "Wha...?"

"Shh..." I kept my face calm and followed the invisible trail of my touch with my eyes. This was what he got for wearing ultra low waist pants. I pushed harder until I could feel the stiffness of his muscles under my hand. At that point, I trailed even lower.

"Ro...Roxas..." Tiny bumps formed on the surface of his skin. Just as I barely inched under the black fabric did I hear a tiny sound of pleasure. How I waited for that...I traveled lower.

"Feels nice I bet."

He drew in a breath through clenched teeth. That silenced him. I was disappointed again and I pulled out just before I had the chance to even feel it. Fine. But that doesn't mean it's over. I stared at him, watching him bite his lower lip while supporting his weight on his elbows.

"Roxas...what the hell?"

With an unchanging expression, I gently wrapped my hands around each of his legs, being careful to not turn him away. Causing him pain wasn't what I wanted to accomplish. He didn't budge. He barely even breathed. With him carefully pinned, I lifted myself up until I was able to sit atop his waist and his lower regions. He lightly gasped when my hands returned to their business at his stomach. I leaned forward and moved my thumbs in circular motions around his hip bones.

"Must feel really good..."

"Ah...uhm..." He uselessly began stammering. If you're so nervous, why aren't you leaving?

My hands momentarily paused but still they continued to twitch in excitement. My whole body felt that way. I was finally touching him. How many times had I thought about doing this? As it turned out, I always thought about it when I thought about him. That means that I thought about it all the time. At last it was reality.

"Why are you resisting, Axel?" I lowered my entire body until I was pressed against him. I left my legs straightened out in between his own and inched my way closer to his face. Of course I made sure to add pressure and friction while dragging myself across him. The light fabric of my shirt separated naked body from another.

"God..." He hissed and tightly shut his eyes. It didn't stop me. He'd open them soon enough. Even if he didn't, my desire wouldn't rest. I had to have him.

"Just tell me if it's wrong..."

"N-No..."

"No? As in you don't want this? Or this isn't wrong?"

He swallowed. The way his softened lips twitched and parted signaled that he was waiting. He knew. He knew that I was right here. Giving up? Just as delicately as he had touched me, I caressed his right cheek where the product of hatred had scarred him. No more pain...that was all about to change. I pulled him closer to me. Eyes were closed already, lips were trembling and hearts were beating wildly.

Lips crashed together in a move that instantly revealed so many emotions at that one moment. The pretend act Axel had given me melted away and I knew so when he swiftly slid into my mouth with confident force. I met with him and pushed back, attempting to pin his tongue to the roof of his mouth. Somehow he escaped me and began licking away inside.

In the midst of the fight, our hands began putting together a brawl of their own. His fingers forcefully clung onto my shoulders while I kept mine gripped around his upper arms. Both his weight and mine together eventually weakened him and his arms fell limp onto the sheets. This worked to my advantage for the second he fell back, I fell with him and landed atop him. Neither of us bothered to care about falling and continued to get the better of one another.

I had to keep this up. But, knowing Axel, my position wasn't going to remain this way forever. Just use what time you have. Time...I barely remembered the word.

I pulled away from him and began following up his jawbone. The jagged touch of the cut left the taste of blood on my tongue. I went on copying the wound, the thought that I would be able steal away the pain still lingering in my mind. Axel loosely clung to my arms when he tilted his head the opposite direction to allow me more room. All he could release was heavy breathing. Even breathing seemed difficult for him to do.

"R-Roxas...!"

My lower body became uncomfortable when he spoke my name. I cringed and gasped for air. I should have known better than to stop. Axel's hands shot forward and tightly gripped the top of my shoulders. I steadily began arching my head backward when I felt his tongue meet with the skin on my lower neck. He worked upward toward my chin and we both ended up sitting up just to accomplish the painful sucking in those kisses.

"Off..." He whispered after staring directly at me. We were both panting like crazy.

I was confused for a minute before I was able to understand just by the way both of his hands caught the bottom edge of my shirt. I nodded and, before I could even do so, he did it for me and slipped it off over my head before tossing it to the floor. I was halfway exposed to him and he showed his approval by lunging forward and forcing his body on top of me. The slight pain of the wooden frame at the foot of the bed striking the back of my head suddenly left me when Axel dragged his tongue across my upper torso.

"Oh, god..." I weakly said in response to him straddling my hips. I kept my fingers away from him. If they were touching his skin, chances were that he would have cat scratches by now. He returned to my neck and once again placed painful kisses in one spot then the other. Faint trills shot up my spine and, though they were soft, I knew he could feel them. Just in the way he nearly crushed my body and added pressure to the hot licking I could tell he loved feeling me beside him. Why can't he show the same to me?

The mattress below us gave a cloud like feel to the pleasure. If he hadn't been so demanding and if I hadn't been so sensual then I might have just remained asleep. But, if neither of us were like this, then nothing would be exposed. Nothing would show exactly what was held captive inside our bodies.

Axel's kissing came to a slower pace which gave me some time to breath normally. My back returned to a straightened position and I quietly settled into the sheets. He wouldn't stop. But it wasn't like I wanted him to. His body felt comfortably warm opposite from his actions toward me.

After covering my abdomen several times, his weight lightened on my chest and once more his eyes stared back at me. He was actually on top of me. I was actually seeing his eyes hovering over me...they never failed to send me into euphoria. With lips parted for me to breathe, I gently placed a hand behind his neck and pulled him closer to my face. I never took my eyes off of him...not for a second.

"I want you...to show me..." I said restlessly in that same voice that I failed to recognize as my own.

"What?" He replied. He was panting just as softly and swiftly as I was.

"Do you like this?" Before he could reply, my fingers tightened and gave him a light push that was just enough for our mouths to touch again. We returned to picking up speed. All that remained was our level. Neither was stronger and neither was weaker. Before, it had always been me that fell small and misplaced...always.

I had to think quickly. I relaxed my jaw and left my tongue limp to give Axel the impression that I had nothing left. And, just as I expected, he darted forward and began searching through. He wasn't ready to end this. With him distracted, I shifted my legs underneath him which slightly raised the weight of his body. Satisfied with that, I started raising my right hand up toward the black laces that loosely dangled from the front of Axel's pants. Once there, I gave one lace a tug, which undid the knot, then hooked my thumb on the edge of the waist line.

Axel must have felt my move since his tongue paused from sucking my lower lip for a moment to faintly gasp. Right when he released it I gave the cloth a pull and lowered his pants a few inches away from where they rested at his lower waist. Now, while he's still distracted...

"Well, _do_ you?" Again I was able to silence him. My muscles tightened and I pushed away from the bedding. In a short second, I was able to force Axel off from on top of me and fix him securely below. Our hands gave strong pulls at each other's bodies when my sudden tactic took place. I literally would have called him victim to me now. He looked like a victim. That striking color in his eyes moved into a blaze while mine greedily devoured him. I made sure to keep my thumbs hooked on each side of his pants and to keep his legs in place with my own.

All he could do was stare up at me with a stupefied look glued on his face.

When he didn't reply, I let it go. He'd just end up telling me everything sooner or later. Judging on what I was about ready to do, I could predict just what I would hear.

Three...two...one...

Quickly, I pulled his pants lower until his boxers were fully exposed to me. One step closer. I slipped _both_ away from his legs and tossed them to the side. Clothes would just get in the way. He returned with a shiver that I felt in the palms of my hands.

"N-no...Roxas...no..." I looked up at him. Sweat was dripping at an uncontrollable pace down his face and his eyes were squinting nervously at his naked self. I could tell he was just being hesitant.

Knowing this, I went slow and took hold of both of his ankles, pushing his legs slowly apart from each other.

"It's ok, Axel..." I whispered seductively yet soothingly at the same time.

"R-Roxas...! S...Stop it!" He was failing to keep his voice steady and serious. I had known him long enough to find even the tiniest allusion of a separate sensation in his voice.

I carefully lowered my head closer to his crotch. I had never done this before. Heck, I hadn't even thought of this before. To think that I had to go this far to earn an equal level with Axel...I really am desperate...we both are.

He was panting so heavily that I was afraid he would lose his ability to breathe. Whether he was afraid or simply impatiently waiting, I didn't know. I drew in a deep breath and tightly shut my eyes before slipping it into my mouth.

"Nnn...!"

I pulled back then forward again. Let me hear you...

"Ah...Roxas! God, DAMMIT!"

That's it...

"_ROXAS...!_"

For several seconds I heard nothing but him screaming my name, gasping for air and other loose sounds of pure pleasure and approval. And all that time...that entire time...I tingled with excitement. Each time I heard him I couldn't help but increase my level of passion toward him. How couldn't I just accept the fact that I really did love him? Why was it that neither one of us could say a thing about this relationship? I used to hate him...I used to dream of nothing but seeing him suffer. How could you think such things, Roxas?

"Ah...oh, god...ohhh..."

I finally released him; slowly and delicately. As I knelt in between his legs, I brushed the tip of my tongue against my bottom lip. My tongue felt sore from being so over used. On the second I had pulled away, he had started spilling onto the covers underneath him. I kept my eyes halfway shut. But even in that perspective I was able to view Axel actually below me: gasping for breath with his fingers clawing deep into the bedding at an attempt to stop himself.

I felt ashamed in myself. But why? Maybe the way he's staring away from me means something. Was I too demanding? Maybe I just shocked him? What?

Whatever the reason, I felt horrible about it.

I swallowed and lightly placed my hand on his foot. "Sorry..." I said gently.

He returned with a glossy stare and a muffled noise from his throat. He tightly pursed his lips and remained in that same position I had left him in; more like _forced _him in. I couldn't have hurt you...no...

"I..." I sighed then lowered my head to stare at the tangled folds in the covers. That's it Roxas...you could have ruined it...everything. Why listen to what _you_ want? "I'm so stupid..." I hissed to the darkness and forcefully darted my head to the side. "Stupid!"

"Ro-x...as..." Even the way his voice spoke to me proved that he was badly shaken.

"Stupid!" Again I cursed to myself. He shouldn't see me...I don't deserve this! With nothing else left to do, I turned away from Axel's body and flung myself onto a pillow. I buried my face into it and attempted to pull a handful of sheets over my head. Frustrated, I simply covered my face and tried to find some bit of comfort in the fading scent of cologne.

"Don't, Roxas."

Trying to cancel his voice out wasn't helping. My mind wouldn't allow me to turn away. I still remembered...

_I can't keep running away_

The mattress shifted from underneath me and I felt more weight being added at my back. But though I was curious, I refused to show my face to see what was occurring. Darkness wasn't holding onto me all too well. My eyes still begged to meet with someone...anyone. I just couldn't stand being alone...I couldn't stand staring blindly in the dark without knowing someone was beside me.

Somehow I was looking up from the pillow again. My thoughts got the better of my body.

Feeling Axel's body pressed against my back was amazingly comfortable. I barely noticed the weight. I didn't even care. All I cared about was the way we were touching and sharing warmth. It's sort of a funny way to embrace another...but I liked it even so. I breathed deeply again to capture the slightest bit of his scent mixed in with the sweat and steam.

"I thought you said you hated my cologne." He laughed weakly and nuzzled my neck. It felt like such a long while ago that I heard him laugh...even in his typical devilish way. To think that I had wanted to rid of that tone before. Really, what _was_ I thinking? I chuckled lightheartedly and smiled into the pillow.

"I didn't hurt you, did I?"

I felt him carefully push away a few loose strands of hair that fell over my neck and I remained completely still. He placed a kiss against the back of my neck then pulled away to do the same to my cheek. "You're crazy, kid."

"My name isn't kid..." I said with my eyes partially closed.

"I know," He carefully rolled off of me and snuggled in to occupy the empty side of the bed, "you're Roxas."

"Good...heh...you should _memorize it_."

"Ah, shut up, you." A gentle smile came into my blurred vision. I was still able to see it...I wouldn't miss seeing that. It's just a rare picture to capture...

"Axel...?" I said after some time in silence. My eyes were fully shut now.

"Hm?"

I paused and felt around my side with my hand. When I felt his skin on my fingertips, I tried pulling him close. He must have understood and scooted closer until my face could touch his chest. "I don't hate you."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah..."

"You're the first person to tell me that."

"Really?" I already felt like I was asleep.

"Yup." I felt something soft run across my forehead. Any way he touches me...I love. I easily relaxed my neck and rested my head under Axel's chin. I felt like such a baby. "Roxas?"

I didn't respond.

"Thanks..."

I drowned myself in sleep...for the first time in what felt like months. I'd have to thank him for that...

He's different...I couldn't ask for anything better.

**once again i am left to cope with disappointment in myself...-sob- ;( sorry that i wasn't able to post earlier and i double apologize for writing crapily! ugh...lemons...pain...sting! wah! i guess that's what school's for, neh? -nod nod- now, off to do the homework i should be doing...ehehe. -bows-**

**_got ramen? yay!  
kokoro77 XD_**


	20. Chapter Twenty: It's a DATE Part I

**-peers around corner- ehheh...eh...-gets sporks thrown at me- X.x meep! -slaps self- i am so sorry everyone! how long has it been since i've updated? IT'S BEEN YEARS!!! -runs around in circles- NOO! really, i'm so sorry! i've been literally thinking about updating all night but ever since high school started i've been brainwashed. X.X well, to make up for my two month delay -shot- i've decided to make this a longer chapter for you guys...is that even a good thing? -shot- ;(  
i felt really bad when i got all the reviews and e-mails of people wanting me to post. i spent all day typing this up for all you guys and i hope you can forgive me!  
please don't think i forgot about you guys at all, oh no. i couldn't. i could go on forever about how sorry i am but, so i hopefully don't get shot again, -hides- here's Part I of this 'dating'! heheh  
...  
i really am sorry. TT.TT**

* * *

Chapter Twenty: It's a D.A.T.E Part I

I used to hate getting up in the morning. Actually I hated getting up, period. Because of my random thoughts, I usually spent hours awake just to keep things organized in my head...or at least, _tried to_. And even when I'd eventually fall asleep, I'd just have to be awake in, what, the next hour?

The fact that I didn't feel dizzy from getting up so fast was...nice. For once, that annoying, ditzy voice on the radio wasn't yelling the weather in my ear and for once Sora wasn't bouncing on my bed until I'd flop onto the floor.

Nope...nothing like that. No distractions, no headaches and no rays of sun ready to blind my vision when I woke up.

This time, it's different. Yeah, didn't I have to thank someone for giving this to me?

I was facing a pillow when I woke up that morning. At least...I thought it was a pillow. Were pillows normally tan colored? My eyes were left half way open. I couldn't open them wider than that. I actually admit that I didn't bother to leave them any other way. Not when I'm this relaxed.

I remembered the rain from last night. I actually found it weird that I could recall that it ever happened considering how distorted my senses were last night. I let off a sudden shiver at the thought of cold water touching me and tried pulling some sheets over my chest...wait, sheets?

With eyes still narrowed, I stared down at my legs which had thin, ruffled bedding draped over them. Was I really that clueless to forget that I was lying down? In this bed? With...

That's when it hit me. No wonder that pillow was tan. No wonder it was moving softly...right next to me. Axel...? He's really...he's really here?

I gasped faintly, suddenly remembering everything. All the little details were so clear. Almost too recognizable to believe. But here I was; waking up with a boy I used to deny liking. What was weirder was that he was _naked_. Naked!

"Uh...uhm...A-Axel?" I stuttered breathlessly. Just recalling last night sent me back into that state of obsession. Those sensations increased as I continued to stare up at his face. I mean, his hair wasn't flying all over the place and the way the lazy orange glow from the sun touched his face just made him seem mature. I didn't think it was possible for someone to look nearly perfect in the morning. Wow, did I just say 'perfect'? Heh, something really must be wrong with me.

Even his scar completed him...oh, right, the scar. So it really wasn't a dream? I guess it's true: kissing the boo-boos to make someone feel better doesn't mean it'll go away faster. But maybe the pain does.

Sadly, I gazed up at the cut on his cheek and lightly and absently began tracing it with my finger. It felt warm...and even smooth in the parts that were beginning to heal. I really couldn't believe that he was _asleep_. I mean, when he was awake he always gave me this feeling that he was an owl. Let's just deal with: he acts like a coffee and candy possessed child when awake. He still wasn't waking up. Geez, talk about heavy sleeper.

I probably spoke too soon. He suddenly gave off a twitch and the mattress below us shifted when he snuggled deeper into the pillow. I quickly pulled back my hand and pulled my chin closer to my chest, making sure to keep completely still. For some reason I was embarrassed! Well, I actually had every reason to be...seeing as Axel's new position was literally squeezing me. Now my face was pressed into his chest and his legs were tangled up with mine. Is this even legal?

Still, all I could do was keep quiet and motionless, hoping that somehow he'd grow uncomfortable and would turn his back on me. Then I'd probably be able to slip out of bed, change and start working on that project...damn, I wish I didn't remind myself about that stupid thing. Oh well, better to get it over with now than to cry about it the next day in class.

"Ok...just lemme...no..." I tried pulling my leg away but I was held too tightly. "Ok, fine. Maybe...ugh." Even trying to push away was hard! If I pushed too hard, he'd wake up and if I did it too lightly nothing would happen!

I decided to give up after that and let myself stay prisoner in his bed. To believe that I used to hate him...I never even thought about ending up _here_ out of all places. A few kisses eventually leads to necking then necking eventually leads to the hand-action then that gets into bed-action. Ugh, what a thought.

With a sigh, I shut my eyes again then tried finding some comfort in my pillow. I just have to be one of those people that, when they wake up, can't get back to sleep no matter what they try.

Whenever I had sleepovers with Hayner or Pence, I always insisted on sleeping on the floor. I can't stand sleeping in someone else's bed even if I have known them for all eternity. Why did I make an exception for Axel? I was pretty sure it wasn't his mattress that changed my mind.

What was I supposed to tell Sora? Sora...pft, yeah, right. Like he'd ever listen to me. Oh, yeah, and like I would even tell him anything. Imagine it; flailing my arms out like a giddy school girl, running toward him screaming:

_Hey, Sora! Guess who I just slept with!_

Now that's awkward.

I started counting the days in my head. Sunday, right? Yeah, today's Sunday. Yesterday went by so fast. That's probably why I feel so rushed. I lightly shook my head to get rid of all my thoughts. Just try concentrating on calming down, Roxas. Honestly! For the love of...

I froze again when my head suddenly started bouncing. I forced my eyes open and stared up at Axel who was...laughing? Ok...who does that in their sleep?

"Hm! Quit it..." He mumbled while lightly pressing his hand against my shoulder; trying to push me off.

I quirked an eyebrow up at his face. Was he dreaming? His eyes are closed. "Axel..." But before I could push him back, his laughter started up again. This time it was hard enough for my head to start bouncing at an annoying rate when his chest moved. What is his problem?

"What's up with you?" I hissed into him.

"Haha! S-stop it!" He went on pushing at me to a point where I fell back. Still, my legs were caught. Great...they're falling asleep. There was nothing I hated worse than feeling annoying little ants crawling underneath my skin.

"Axel, let...me...go!" But no matter what I said, he kept a tight hold around my legs and waist. Oh, he's definitely awake. Either that or he's just some psychotic sleeper that attack people while they sleep. Reminds me of cartoons. But cartoons don't normally show a 'couple' just getting up in the morning after 'fooling around'. Eww! Stop thinking now, Roxas! I let off a slight shudder just thinking about it.

"Heheh...ehaha! Yeaaah..." Axel said rather drunken and fuzzily.

Seriously, is he drunk? There must have been something in the ice cream. Or something in the fumes from the cologne he sprayed last night. What about the water in the shower? That could've changed him. Then why wasn't I acting strange? What am I saying? I am acting strange...thinking about people being intoxicated and ice cream being poisoned with feel-good juice. I guess this is the new Roxas. Not sure is you'd call it _new and improved_, though.

Axel went on laughing to himself for what felt like hours. My legs still felt like they were being eaten by bugs and my entire face was heating up from being under sun, sheets, and a crazy body. By the time my legs started getting cold, I started going over a list of possibilities. For one thing, hitting wasn't the answer. For another thing, I was too shy to move around too much. So what was left was, what, acting all cutesy? That's usually how I forced Sora to wake up. I regret it. I really should think about rough house with him. It's only fair. Anyway...

I swallowed hard and let out a steadied breathe. It was worth a shot. Carefully (my hand was still shaking though) I reached up toward his forehead and formed my hand into a fist. Ok, before you readers get all 'oh, smooth. And you just said...' just know that I'm not heading in that direction! Even I don't change that much.

"Oh, Axel...hey, heyy...you're oversleeping." I promised myself to never speak like this again. It reminded me of the way Riku used to talk to me in that 'aren't you adorable?' voice when I was a little kid. "Hey, come on. Get up." With my hand still in a fist, I pressed down lightly onto his head and started with a little noogie.

"Hn? Ah...h-hey. Quit it...!" He still sounded fuzzy and that's how I knew he was still half asleep. I suddenly started enjoying myself and smirked when I started rubbing it in.

"Let's go! Come on. I know you're awake!"

With his eyes still closed, Axel started up laughing again, this time out loud, and finally his legs loosened up enough for me to pull free. I took a second to do a little victory motion with my free hand and, just for the heck of it, started adding a little more friction to the noogie.

"No..." Axel groaned like a little kid and turned on his other side. Lazily, he searched around for his pillow and forced it tightly over his head.

I stopped after that but even though I was pretty much free to get up, I didn't. I rested my head on my arm and, for whatever reason, started staring at Axel's back for what felt like a long time. I remembered getting up and the sun being all orange. But now it was almost so yellow that you could've mistaken the season for summer. I wished it was, really. Then again, if it was summer all the time, what were the chances that I would have met Axel? I guessed a million to one.

When my eyes wandered down at the sheets, I saw something I really didn't want to see and pulled the sheets over Axel's waist. Ok, so maybe ants under my skin weren't the worst thing in the world.

"Cover, up, please," I said, not like he could hear me, "I really don't want to see your ever-so-gorgeous butt crack."

He didn't say anything and I figured he fell back asleep. With nothing else to do, I quietly pushed the covers away from me and sat up before scooting to the edge of the bed. That's when I felt the mattress shift right after I got up. I just had this feeling...

"Damn it, Roxas."

I straightened up and glanced over my shoulder. "Hm?" I said innocently.

Axel sighed. He was staring up at the ceiling on his back with his arm across his forehead. Then he let out a tipsy sort of laugh and said, "Didn't I tell you that I can't get back to sleep after getting up in the morning?"

"So, I'm not the only one, then?" I replied sheepishly, suddenly feeling a bit sorry. But he hated it when I apologized so I didn't say anything. I still felt awkward.

He scoffed again. "You're a real idiot, you know that, Roxas?"

"Yeah? Well, idiots don't get up first thing in he morning to get a project done because their partners refuse to do the work. Think about that." I grabbed the pillow behind me and flung it across the bed at Axel's face.

"Hey! Ah, come on, do you really have to bring that dumb project up?" He said all muffled into the pillow that he squeezed over his face.

I crossed my arms and turned to face him. "Do you _want_ to fail? Besides, we'd be able to get this..."

"Oh, stop it," He sounded like a baby when he said it, "Look, it's only 10:30 in the morning. Relax for a bit, huh?"

"Ugh, you make it sound like it's a Saturday. Now get up before I make you get up," I threatened and reached toward him to pull the pillow off. "You're gonna suffocate yourself if you keep it there, you know."

"You're the one that threw it!" Then, without me expecting a thing, Axel reached out from under the pillow and got a firm hold around my wrist. I lightly gasped and blinked once to get the thought through my head. Normally, I would have tried pulling away. Axel seemed to notice that right away.

He threw the pillow off the bed and sat up beside me, all while still clinging to me. This was probably one of the first times in ages I saw his face straight. I wasn't gonna panic or anything. I just felt like I had to ask if he was feeling ok. Catching a cold can do stupid things to people.

"Uh...are you...feeling ok?" I asked nervously.

I couldn't believe it, really. He was actually, smiling at me. Not that killer smile and not a cheesy smile either. It was just _cool. _And it was _real_. I knew it. I just had this little warm spot in my gut that told me it was real. I was almost scared to be seeing it. Something so small like that...wow.

"I was serious, Roxas." I still couldn't believe that smile was still there.

"Eh, huh? What?"

"What I said. You know, about these." He poked the top of my left eye and I ducked my head a bit. I started getting all fuzzy and babyish again. I kept trying to repeat in my head how corny it was. But the thing was, I wasn't even sure if it was all that bad. I sort of liked it.

"Oh...that. They're not all that great," I forced a laugh, "I still don't get what's so special. Heh, I mean, look, Sora and Riku have blue eyes. Why don't you go all smooshy over their's? Even Demyx has 'em the same way."

He shook his head and gave me sort of a tap on the side of the head. "You're too much, Rox. Don't you stop and look in the mirror once in a while? At least a puddle?"

I shook my head even though that wasn't true. I just felt like lying to hear what he'd say. Great, he was even bringing up nicknames. As if this could get any cuter.

"Dunno how to explain it a whole lot. Heh, you know me; never got through English with more than a D." He started petting me while talking. I just like to call it petting just because I felt like a puppy that would fall asleep. What was weird was that I just woke up and I'm really not the kind of person that falls asleep again until night. Only Axel can really do that to me. I even had to blink a couple of times just to get my head awake again.

No sleeping, no. I sort of envisioned a hand in my head and pretended to slap it against my brain.

"Ah, well...they're just this kind of color that's different. They're like ponies and butterflies. That kind of blue. Baby-like, almost." He laughed lightly.

"Baby?"

"Ever seen a little kid's eyes? Like, right when they get up, even though they can't see, their eyes just have this spark in them like you know something's on their minds. Even though they don't even know left from right, just by seeing that you can sort of tell they know something you don't."

"Uh-huh." I knew he was looking right at me but I barely remembered what he looked like. I was too busy listening to pay attention to anything else.

"So it's like you've got this little secret you're keeping from everyone else. I just keep thinking that if I keep staring at 'em I might find out whatever it is. But after the first couple of times, I guess I gave up on it. You just keep thinking about a lot of things I guess it's hard to keep up."

I felt something cold behind me and suddenly realized I was on my back again; lying down face up on the bed. Suddenly my life was becoming a broken record. But for some reason, I couldn't keep track of everything happening. Even the little things that kept repeating, the kissing and other things like it, weren't predictable. This was hard.

I looked up when my sight got clear again and I laughed.

"Huh? What?" Axel asked playfully.

"You're face. You're blushing!" Even I sounded sort of tipsy.

Uneasily, Axel touched his cheeks and his eyes widened a bit. "Huh? Am not!"

"Liar. You should see yourself! You're getting even redder than your own hair!" All of a sudden my chest started hurting and tears started forming on the corners of my eyes. I could barely even hear Axel's voice yelling at me to stop.

"Why, you...ah..."

"Hahaha! W-what's the matter? Can't...can't...ahaha!" Besides the fact that I could barely hear, I could barely see from the tears. I felt like I could do this forever.

By the time I stopped, I realized that Axel wasn't saying anything anymore and I wondered why. I steadied my breathing and, since he was still holding my arms down (I just realized that too) I couldn't dab my eyes and cheeks from the tears. My smile turned upside down at that point. "Ah...hey, was I too harsh?" I asked shyly.

"I know you, Roxas. You're just being all nice and apologetic."

"No, seriously, was I?"

"Nah. I just felt like letting you laugh everything out for a bit. Just had this feeling that you haven't done that in a long time, right?"

That did it. He knew everything I was thinking. He really did know me all too well. "Uh, well..."

"Ah-huh. I know it." He lowered his head closer to mine; just close enough for our noses to barely touch. "That's good, right? At least you've got the bad things off your head."

I could feel my own face turning all sorts of shades of red and pink. And I could have sworn that my temperature shot up a couple of notches. Why is it now that the fact that 'Axel's naked and on top of you' comes to mind? Geez, he's been like that for at least five minutes, hasn't he? Why didn't I see this?! I felt like throwing up. I just begged that he wouldn't start drooling all over my face. After all, he did look like he wanted to eat me, in a way.

"Uh, bubble?" I said uselessly. Come on, get the hint.

He scoffed and sort of rubbed our noses together all Eskimo-like. Warm-fuzzy-bunnies-Eskimos...gah. "Don't kid me with all this bubble stuff! Besides, you already melted the ice last night. Bubbles popped a long time ago."

I tried sinking further into the pillow but as far as it could get me was about two measly millimeters. "Ok, fine, but..." You just _have_ to open your mouth, Roxas. Real smooth. Like I said: broken record. Stinkin' broken record! Axel shut me off all of a sudden like he always did; he did it at the perfect time too...at least for him. For me it felt like he just collapsed my lungs and made my heart stop beating for a second; which I can tell you isn't all too perfect timing.

"Mmh! Mm!" I squealed. It was already obvious that flailing my arms out wouldn't work this time.

Axel, again, like he always does, ignored me completely and just went on with something of a one-man tongue war. Oh, please, not right now! It's way too early and I really don't feel like overusing my tongue again. Gosh, I really had to stop thinking these sorts of things. I was beginning to sound like some sort of sexual deviant.

I felt a little better when he started slowing down on me. I was pretty thankful that I really couldn't feel anything _private_ in between my shorts and, well, Axel. I mean, he wasn't wearing anything. I still couldn't let 'naked' seep into my brain.

Axel pulled back to stare at me eye to eye even though I insisted on occasionally wandering off at the ceiling behind him. I really was embarrassed. I kept thinking about what he had said about my eyes. It just made me feel like a pathetic writer that couldn't even begin to describe what an apple looked like. If I couldn't do that, then how was I supposed to describe Axel's eyes? Green. Ok, so there's a start! But it wasn't like I would suddenly burst out and say 'your eyes are green!' I decided to keep to myself instead.

"You know...I've been thinking..." Boy; that must have been an amazing accomplishment.

I forced his hand off of mine and started rubbing my cheek. I thought that if I tried wiping my lips he'd go on a lecture about how to kiss right. It was just a thought and I knew I wasn't ready for it to actually happen.

"I've been thinking," He said again, "you've really been overworking yourself."

I quirked an eyebrow. Overworking? "Overworking? What're you talking about?" I asked unhappily.

"Oh, come on, Roxas! Don't tell me you don't know what overworking is?"

"Ugh, I know what it is. But, since when do I overwork myself? Lemme up!" I pushed at his chest but he stubbornly said that the forces of gravity were too strong on him today. Pft, gravity my ass.

"You know, with school work and issues with relationships. You should think about loosening up one of these days..." He paused and took a second to scratch his head.

"And...?"

"Say, today?"

"What? Today? Get real! All we've done is found a topic! Doesn't it concern you even a little bit that we're not even a quarter done with this assignment? And it's due...!"

He sighed and idly twirled a couple strands of short hair that dangled over his eyebrows. "Yes; Tuesday. I know."

"Then get your naked butt out of bed and let's start working on it!" The bed started creaking when I swiveled around.

That's when he got this pathetic look painted on his face that made me want to give him another noogie, this time more painful than the last one. He sort of stuck his bottom lip out and it started wibbling every two seconds. It was so hard to see that this guy was 17.

"Axel...don't even try giving me that face!" I sounded like mom.

He went on doing it anyway. "Aw, please, Roxassss?" He even added a little kid's voice to make him sound like he was one...yup, he is one.

"Get serious! I don't _need_ a break! Now can you please get off me?!"

"Not until you say yes...!" He was already half begging.

"No!"

"Please?"

"No!"

"It's just one day! Live a little and stop being all emo!"

"I am not emotional! Do I look emotional? You don't see me with half my face missing do you?"

"But..."

"NO!" That was it! I pulled my hands away and pulled the pillow out from under me. "That's it! I said no and I mean it!" Like Axel had done earlier, I stuffed the pillow over my head and groaned, frustrated. Knowing Axel, he'd stick around for a while or try pulling you out with misleading conversation before giving up since there wasn't anything to do. I swear, the guy had ADD.

I started hearing this annoying squeaking noise from behind me and rolled my eyes under the pillow. "You're _still_ there?"

The sound stopped abruptly. "Uh-huh."

"Ugh...what's so great about going out _today_, Axel? Huh? Tell me that!" My voice was muffled but I liked it better that way. If I said something bad maybe he wouldn't be able to hear it well. Still, I could barely breathe so it wasn't like I could talk anyway.

There was a short pause before he answered me. "I've got five bucks in my wallet..." The squeaking started up again.

I blinked. "Are-you-serious?" Five whole bucks, Axel. Wow. Was I supposed to be surprised? I bet he could buy five packs of gum with that much. Ok, so maybe he wanted to go gum shopping?

"It's supposed to be a surprise! Aw, come on! It'll be fun!"

So maybe thinking that he'd leave a little later on was a stupid thought. I figured I might be stuck here all morning. Heck, maybe it'd turn out to be all day. Actually, now that I think about it, I haven't done anything fun since the middle of summer. Even summer was pretty boring. Nothing but that beach party and the festival was what went on. Up until now...no...don't say it, Roxas, don't think it. You're not that gullible, are you? Please don't tell me you're that gullible!

Finally, I sighed and lifted the pillow up a bit for one eye to look out. "Where are we going, Axel?" I said without feeling.

"Huh? Really, Roxas?!" He squealed happily. I was really starting to regret this...school-girl Axel sounded too scary for me.

I groaned to myself. "Yes..."

"Haha! Yes!" The bed started bouncing at an annoying rate.

"Hey, hey! Calm down!"

"Aw, I knew you weren't so deprived, Roxas." Axel started laughing and I felt him tightly squeeze me until I started to cough.

"Ah! A-Axel! Gah! Get-off-of-me! Don't be so excited about it!"

For once, he obeyed me and rolled off to the other side of the bed. I was about to look up before I pictured him all jumpy _while naked_.

"So, what're you still doing in bed?" He asked in a cutesy voice.

I snorted. "Uh, didn't you hear me when I said I didn't want to see your butt? No, thank you."

"Ha, well ok then." He started getting that wicked voice again. I heard the closet door close and something being shaken. It was probably the AXE...hooray. "I'll just go outside."

"Ugh, thank you," I whispered to myself, rolling my eyes again. What did I tell you? He was constantly wide awake.

"It's a date." He said confidently. That's when I jolted up from the bed, oblivious to the fact that I still had the pillow over my head so it went flying across the room and crashed into the mirror. A few loose pictures that were stuck on the mirror fell to the floor but Axel didn't seem to mind. All he really was paying attention to was my face.

I stared blankly at him, mouth hanging open. Date? As in, date-date? As in two people that...whoa, whoa...what? "I...uh...da...huh?" I stammered stupidly.

Axel clicked his tongue at me and stepped out into the hallway. "Told you it was a surprise." And he shut the door behind him. More photos fell from the mirror when he did it.

Surprise? I had this sense that this wasn't the only part of the surprise.

xxXXxx

I used to love it when mom made Sora and I breakfast in the morning, even if she complained half of the time that we were old enough to do it by ourselves. But when I got back into the hallway from the bathroom, fully changed, I wasn't exactly greeted by buttered toast or eggs. The whole house smelled like the furniture was on fire.

I gagged and hesitantly made way into the living room. "Axel? What's going on?" I asked. I really was hoping that I wouldn't get to see half the house bursting into flames. I heaved a relieved sigh when I turned the corner and saw that everything was still in place. What really bugged me was that I couldn't find Axel. For all I knew, he could have been on top of the roof screaming to the world that he was going out with me.

I suddenly blushed. 'Going out'? Oh, shit. This is really real.

"_I'm in here, Roxas!"_

I followed Axel's voice into the kitchen and was surprised to see that the place was actually white again. I didn't think of him as much of a neat freak and it sort of creeped me out beyond reason.

"Wow, you got the chance to clean up?" I asked, watching him staring down at a crusty looking white toaster on the counter. I was even more relieved to see him out of the nude. He looked pretty good in a green sports jacket. The jacket had silver zippers, one on the top of each shoulder, and the number 08 printed on the chest in yellow. He had on another pair of bagged khakis with a checkered belt and on his right wrist he had a checkered wrist band that sort of looked like my own except it had a little zipper pouch in the middle.

He looked up for a second and smiled deviously over his shoulder at me. I didn't like the looks of it. "Uh-huh. Actually, I was gonna let _you_ do it since you were the one that started the whole fight."

"Wha?" I panicked then miserably shook my head when he laughed out loud.

"Come on. I'm not _that_ cruel, am I?" When he finished, the toaster started ringing. A ringing toaster? That was new. "Oh, gimme a sec!"

Now I seriously felt like gagging. Up from the toaster sprang a round, charred and smoking...what ever it was. Honestly, the thing was _smoking_ and even darker than asphalt. It sort of looked like a waffle but more like an over sized Oreo than anything else...and I don't mean the tasty looking Oreos either.

"Axel...?" I asked weakly.

"Hm?" He stuck a fork through the thing, which was amazing...it looked pretty hard, and waved it around a bit for it to cool down.

There were a couple things I wanted to ask but I stuck with one question. "What...is..._that_?" I pointed at it and he just smiled.

"Waffle," He said cheerfully. So cheerfully I could've sworn I saw miniature pink hearts floating out of his head.

I knew it was a waffle...sort of. "Are you...gonna eat it?" That was my next question and I asked it even more awkward than the first time.

He nodded once and stared down at the waffle. "It's usually how I eat 'em. Don't you?"

I shook my head. "You're kidding me. You'll die eating them like that all the time!"

"Got proof? Been doing it for years and I'm sill here, right?" Then, as if just dying to see my face cringe again, he bit into it rather happily. It made this rock solid sound that sounded even harder than biting into a stale cracker. I could already picture a few teeth falling out.

"Oh, that's gross!" I stuck my tongue out and quickly waved a hand across my face. The fumes from the smoke were sort of giving me a headache.

He swallowed and shrugged once. "What ever you say, Roxas. I just don't believe in death-by-waffle."

"Lemme guess, you burn the maple syrup too?" I said sarcastically.

"Only sometimes."

"But, how...?" I stopped myself and turned my back on him, leaving him to finish his lump of charcoal. I decided I really didn't need to know.

"Mm, hey, wait here for a sec, 'kay?" The tension in my shoulders eased when the crunching abruptly stopped behind me. I glanced over my shoulder at Axel while he turned toward the hallway, the waffle halfway done with.

"What for?"

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a cell phone from it. Oh, man, a Razr? And it was apple green too. I begged mom to get me that type of phone but, like I said, she insisted on giving me Sora's old one that was all scuffed up with a tacky decoration chain. "It'll only take a sec. I promised Riku I'd call him up for a check in. Oh, yeah, and I've gotta check in with Marly too. You know, Marluxia? He's..." He paused and scratched his head, "Ah...never mind."

"Oh...ok...I guess?"

"Good." Then he did this corny thing. He winked at me. "Don't miss me, 'kay?" But before I could say anything, he took off down the hallway and went into his room.

"You...did NOT just wink at me..." I seriously was starting to think that last night was getting to Axel's head. He probably was thinking that, since I...you know, did that...that meant that we were pretty much 'legit'.

I personally thought we were...even though he still creeped me out and made me feel brainless half the time.

With nothing else left to do, I strolled over to the couch and lazily flopped down on it. Speaking of calling, I felt like calling up someone from class just to see how they were doing with the project and all. A few seconds passed while I scrolled through the calling list on my cell phone. Like always, I ended up choosing Hayner. After all, Pence lost his cell phone, Sora wouldn't talk to me, Axel was calling people and I didn't know anyone else's number.

I put the phone to my ear and waited for him to pick up. I wasn't ready to go through his voicemail. He had this annoying rap song that played for about three minutes before you could really leave a decent message. It made me want to pull my hair out because he hadn't changed it in, what, a year?

"Come on...pick up, pick up..."

"_Yo, it's Hayner."_

"Hayner...this better be you..."

"_Roxas? Hey, what's up?"_

I smiled. It felt good to hear him again considering that I hadn't hung out with my best friends in ages. "Nothing much...I was just wondering how you were holding up with that Sex Ed project."

Hayner groaned. _"Oh, boy, don't get me started. Lucky for me, Pence agreed to finding pictures. Chances are I would've died staring at pictures of...things I don't want to see."_

I laughed. "So, reading about them is better?"

"_Are you kidding me? Of course it's not better! It's even more descriptive! But...I'd rather let the book do the imagining for me rather than looking at the real deal."_

"What ever you say...so what's your guy's topic?"

"_Ha, lucky for us we got first pick."_

I nearly froze. "What?"

"_Yeah. Reproduction. It's pretty easy. I was just about to get started on writing the essay."_

If mother earth would let me, I would've forced my hand right through the speaker and slapped him right there and then. "You don't know how much I hate you right now!" I yelled, sitting up in my seat.

He cackled evilly on the other line. _"Ah, you know you like me, man."_

"Sadly, yes."

"_Yeah...how 'bout you? What's your topic?"_

I rubbed the back of my neck. "Ah...um...let's just say I..."

"_Come on...spit it out,"_ He urged me.

I paused when I heard uncontrollable laughter from down the hallway. _"Shut up! Ahahaha! W-wha...hahahaha!"_

"_Roxas? You still there, man?"_

I turned back to the phone, trying to stop myself from laughing. Axel sounded like a maniac clown. "Y-yeah...pft...sorry. Spaced out for a second there."

"_Oh, no, you don't. You're gonna tell me what your topic is."_

I sighed and started zipping and un-zipping my jacket. Hm, I wondered if showing the belly button was a good thing or a bad thing...

"Ok. You got me. I haven't gotten around picking something out yet." I hated lying; especially to my best friend.

"_Huh? Seriously? You'd better get going! Seriously! What're you calling me for?!"_

As if that was making me feel any better. I left the zipper alone and instead fooled around with my collar. Let's see, popped good or popped bad?

"Calm down...I know what I'm up against here, Hayner."

"_Wait, you're paired up with Axel, right?"_

"Riiight?" I ended up popping the collar. Uhm, what about the pants? Pulled low or pulled up...? Hm, I kinda like them low but not really.

"_Ah, man. Well, I guess both of you better get working. I'm praying for ya."_

"Uh-huh, thanks..." Necklace? Is it shiny enough?

"_...Oh, hey, Roxas, you still there?"_

"Yeah, still here." Do I smell burnt? No...I don't think so...I wonder if I've got extra deodorant in my bag.

"_Yeah, listen, I'm surfing the web and, listen to this, some scientists came up with this article about teens and dating."_

"Dating? Really?" I put the silver crown charm on my necklace down and sat up straight. Dating, huh? _It's a date_...

"_Yeah, yeah! They put my little code here too. You remember the code? Wait, I don't think I told you about that, did I?"_

"D-dating has a code?" My palms were sweating all of a sudden.

"_That was Pence I told...anyway! Listen. I found this code thing a while back while watching an episode of Jerry Springer."_

"Jerry Springer, Hayner? You're kidding me..."

"_Yeah, long story. Anyway, it turns out that the letters in 'date' have these weird meanings to 'em that someone's gotta follow if they want the date to go smoothly."_

"Yeah, I'm listening, I'm listening." I was suddenly really eager about it. There're seriously rules to dating? Oh, man.

"_Hm...oh, here it is. Ok, listen to this. D.A.T.E. D: Always concentrate on the lips of your date. In a recent poll, teens that were asked about kissing said there's nothing worse than if you or your partner has chapped lips. They've got to be delicious; in other words, kissable. A date also has to be full of dares. Take risks and be prepared for anything."_

That was a lot of info right there. I wished I had a pen and paper to write this down. I thought about using my hand but what would people say if they saw messy dating tips scribble on my hand?

"_Ok, here's A. A: Never forget about your date's personality. If they're forcing you to get on the dance floor when you don't want to or they want you to drink something you don't want to, learn to say no. Never date an asshole. Keep the date active and alive with varied actions. Don't stick with the same thing each time. You'll get bored and so will your date."_

Mental note: asshole. Never date one. Sounds good.

"_T: Things can and will be tricky. It's a possibility that you could be in a situation that you are unsure about such as sex or dirty dancing. Think it through and make the right choice. Thinking is key."_

Great, something I'm not good at ends up being a must.

"_And lastly...E: Be considerate to your partner's emotions. Don't spend all night and day talking about yourself and things that could hurt your date. On a side note, dressing fit for the occasion should show your electric side. Never be afraid to show some skin or mix and match. You don't always have to live a shell."_

"Boy, lots of info there, huh?" I secretly started rehearsing everything Hayner told me in my head. It made my stomach turn.

He laughed. _"You bet it is. I hate the text though. Makes it sound like a cheesy 70's infomercial. Haha."_

I laughed feebly with him. It's ok. I don't think he's gotten the hint yet. "I'll be sure to check in with it."

"_You should've heard Pence when he read it! Oh, man. He said he had to go, like, a second later cause he wanted to go out a buy new clothes for his 'electric' side."_

"Ha, amazing what love does to people, huh?"

"_Yeah. Hey, think it'll happen to us sometime? You know; love-y stuff?" _He sounded like he just committed a crime.

"Come on, Hayner. It happens to everyone..." Truthfully, I had a feeling it already did for me.

"_Guess so. I'm not gonna be stupid when she comes around."_

"Hah, yeah, right."

"_Oh, yeah? I bet you're gonna be falling all over the place by the time who-ever-she-is meets up with you. Then we'll see who's stupid."_

I didn't say anything after that. I let Hayner laugh. He was still unaware of the real situation I was in and I couldn't believe I nearly forgot about it. I wondered what he would do if I told him about last night and the _real_ reason why the project wasn't started. What would he say if I told him about the 'date'? Even if he was my best friend, even if we had known each other for years, I couldn't tell him everything and he couldn't handle everything I threw at him. For all I knew, he could drop his phone and let it die on the floor.

"I'd better go, Hayner," I said, feeling a bit sorry I had to.

"_Aw, ok. Guess I'll see you tomorrow. Don't back out!"_

"I won't, I won't. See ya. Bye."

I shut the phone tight and tucked it away in my pocket again. I remembered 'E' and left the chain from the phone to hang out of the pocket. I stood up and stared down at my feet. I never used to check myself this much. I sort of felt like a girl doing it. Uneasily, I walked over to the TV and used the black glass to check if my hair was still spiky enough.

"Show skin, huh?" I stared down at the zipper, which I left shut, and pulled it higher above my belly button. There, I guess that was better. Yeah, it is better! After that, I hooked my thumbs into my pockets and pulled down a bit for my pants to drop lower. Yeah, that's better!

I flipped the collar a couple times for some extra poof and took another few seconds to check in the TV. I was feeling pretty sexy...oh, crap, what the hell is happening to me?

I pulled back up and cleared my throat once. Ok, let's not get that far. It's just fake information from the internet...that's all it is. All it is.

"Whoa, fixed yourself up, did you?"

I spun around, feeling jumpy, and nearly screamed my head off. "What? Oh, uhm...n-not really. I was just..."

Axel lightly shook his head and that's when I caught his eyes staring at me from head to toe...and not just once. I heated up again and looked away. Yeah, thanks for the tips, _Hayner_..._really_ appreciate it.

"Well, ready to go?"

"Go?" I asked.

"Remember? We've got a date, right? Where've you been for the past ten minutes?" Axel walked toward me, shaking a small can of AXE in his hand. I just hoped he wasn't planning on spraying right here-right now. I held my breath just in case.

"Oh, yeah. So...where exactly...?"

"It's a surprise, remember?" He slapped his hand on top of my head and started rubbing hard.

"Ow, ow, hey! That hurts, you know?!" I grabbed his hand and threw it to the side before holding the sides of my head in pain.

He put on a smug face and walked up to the front door, grabbing a tiny silver key that was dangling on the coat hanger beside him. "Had to get you back for waking me up this morning."

"Ow..."

Axel shook the can one last time and, just as I suspected, pushed down on the button and sprayed literally half the can on himself. Darn it, even if I was far away it didn't do any good! I brushed some puffs of the cologne away from my face and choked. I couldn't help but think of how good it smelled. Roxas is officially an AXE girl...

"There, just for you," Axel said sweetly and placed the can on top of the holder on the coat hanger.

"Oh, shut up." When the smell settled down a little more, I gathered myself up and followed after him. That's it, just don't lose yourself. Don't be like the AXE girls on TV that jump on the guy...you can do this. 'T' Think. Geez, and this date thing hasn't even started yet.

"Right, so..." He reached for the doorknob, turned it then opened it up a crack. "Oho, right! Almost forgot!"

I looked up at him with my eyes squinted. "What?"

He slowly took hold of my head with one hand and did that quirky little smile again. I wondered why I wasn't getting a headache from the cologne yet.

"Hn?" I asked.

I suddenly realized how much 'in the mood' I was for making out. Just for a while, I mean. It wouldn't kill to do it. Even for five minutes. I have no idea _why_ I wanted to and it started to bug me. Axel started out just old fashioned which was ok, right? Right. Plain kissing was good. I shut my eyes for a bit and felt content. The first I've felt all morning ever since I woke up. Then, just as everything was slowing down, I felt his lips curve into a smirk and I mentally slapped myself.

With the tip of his tongue, he tentatively licked at my lips. And even if didn't open my mouth to say anything, he still found someway to get inside. But, you know, I noticed something. He was actually gentle with me.

"There, you deserved it," Axel said after moving away from me.

I opened my eyes and stared at him. "Deserved it?"

"Yeah. Had to get you back for what you did last night too." Laughing, Axel pulled the door open and ran off outside, leaving me stupefied. 'D' delicious; kissable. I considered this to just be a test run. So if this was a test run, how was the real date?

"Come on, Roxas! Quit being slow!"

"Y-yeah! Coming!" I stopped myself from running out the door for one second. I caught sight of the AXE can on the coat hanger and then looked back at Axel. He looked too busy staring up at the clouds to notice me...just this once. It won't hurt.

I snatched the can, pointed to my chest and pressed down on the button. I made sure to hold my breath when I got shot with a huge puff of it. With that done, I put the can back and sniffed once before shutting the door behind me. Not bad.

It was just for good luck on a first date...

* * *

**-appears again- i hope that wasn't poop...honestly, i felt like i was rambling, i'm such an emo author...really, i feel so terrible i could crawl under a rock and live with the mushrooms...then again mushrooms aren't that bad...anyway...!  
most likely people have stopped reading but i'll try keeping this going as best i can. as long as i know people are enjoying the akuroku, i'll keep writing. it's all for you guys! ;D  
oh, and i apologize if there was either too much kissing or not enough and i double apologize for making axel so young in spirit. x.x i love him dearly!  
anyway, happy late halloween and happy late thanksgiving to all you guys. ;) hope you all had fun eating candy and turkey-to-furky. wheee!**

**_i've been sporked!  
kokoro77_**


	21. Chapter Twenty One: It's a DATE Part II

**-sigh- at last...christmas vacation is finally here...-sits in bed and drinks cocoa- yeeee...definitely the greatest time of the year...**

**i really do feel like an emo author! seriously! do i drabble on too much? hm. and what's with all the '...' i use in my stories?? i bet if you counted there'd be MILLIONS...!!! there it is again! -dies-**

**oy, i guess that's what happens when you read too much manga. their conversations trail off a lot with '...' especially in Fruits Basket and KH mangas. riku is a dot dot dot person! i'm not alone!!! -dances-**

**well, getting into the topic of manga, SHIRO AMANO IS MY GOD...well not really but he is my love...second love...third love...ok, i just love him. XD he portrays the akurokuness so well in the mangas and novels. -bows down to his greatness- if you've got the time, check out maiki. and check her KH links. she's got a STASH O.O**

**ANNNNYYYYWAY...didn't i tell you i drabble too much??? -explodes then pieces back together- yay! -sings- axel and roxas are dating, axel and roxas are dating...and where are they dating??? oooooo, secrets, secrets...i'd better go to the bottom now and type out the goodbye...yeah. ahem, thanks for checking back you guys! your compliments are driving me into happy land -floats on a cloud with hot cocoa- ahhh...no school is heaven, yes?**

* * *

Chapter Twenty One: It's a D.A.T.E Part II

Everywhere we walked smelled like rain. I kind of liked it but then again it sort of made me feel depressed. Like I said before, it rarely rains in Twilight Town; and even when it does it doesn't pour down buckets. Odd...lately it's been doing that...hours on end even. Then all of the sudden the sun starts coming out; today of all days! I swear the weather is PMS-ing.

I guess I just felt a little depressed because it did rain. It kind of made me sad when I had to look at the smudgy chalk drawings on the sidewalk that were getting washed away. I kept thinking of how some of them could've been Namine's; being the insane little artist that she is.

I forced my hands into my jacket pockets and slowed my pace down at bit. I wasn't sure if I liked the fact that I was walking up so close to Axel. He just made me feel so short! I was a head shorter than him. But that was probably not the reason I felt so insecure. He was smiling too. Not sure if that's a good thing. It just made this little 'surprise' of his seem like a death call.

There were barely any people out on the streets but I guess that's what to expect when it's a Sunday morning. People normally stayed indoors. I just started thinking of mom and how she had most likely gotten up at 5:00 AM to start cleaning the house a second time. I bet anything that she was forcing Sora to clean his own toilet. Or, better yet, clean my room. I started chuckling to myself when I thought about it.

"What's so funny?"

I quickly cleared my throat and stared at the ground, eyes welling up a bit. "It's nothing."

"Oh really?" Even though I wasn't looking at him, I could already imagine Axel looming over me like I was a little kid.

I looked away to hide an upcoming blush. Why was I so embarrassed?! Suddenly I felt like going to the bathroom again. But that would be sort of weird: running all the way back to Axel's house just to go pee.

"Y-yes really," I said a bit harshly. I started feeling bad about it though. I used to talk a lot like that when I first met Axel and wanted to do nothing but lock him in a closet. I started getting that image of him getting locked in places all the time by his dad...ugh, stop thinking already. You'll make your head explode.

"Hey, you ok, Roxas? You don't look so great."

I raised an eyebrow and glanced at Axel in the corner of my eye. Just how far _was _this place anyway? "What're you talking about?" I asked.

He stuck his hands into his own pockets and started staring at me all concerned-like. "Dunno. Just looks like you've got a lot on your mind. Wanna talk?"

I scoffed and stared up at the sky; it was starting to get brighter out. At least that would dry up some puddles around here. "I'm telling you, I..." I stopped myself and took another second to look at his face. He really did look concerned. I sighed and started up again. "Thanks...but, it's all good." Good boy, Roxas.

Just then, I heard him snickering. Normally when people snicker they partially want you to hear or it's just a failed attempt at keeping it to yourself. By the looks of it, I had a feeling that Axel was trying to make it obvious.

"What's wrong with _you_?"

Axel crossed his arms behind his head confidently and kept laughing about something. It was really starting to bug me! "Oh, I know what's on your mind."

I was fully facing him now with this pathetic look on my face. "What?"

He turned his head slightly the other way and smiled widely. "Hm..."

"What? What'm I thinking of? What?" I was starting to feel spastic and even my cheeks felt that way. That's when I noticed something. He was blushing too...seriously? Seriously, he was! Not only now but he was doing it earlier too...I was about to put 'in bed' at the end of my sentence but thought it better if I didn't.

I started biting my bottom lip while I looked up at him blushing and all. "Ok, I guess I don't _really _have to know," I said, trying to sound convincing.

That caught his attention a bit. His eyes gazed over at me with anxiousness but his smile was still there. It's nothing but a cover up, I know it. "Ok, if that's what you want..." Just in the way he said it made it all too obvious for me. Even he was embarrassed to know what I was thinking about. Wait, what exactly was I thinking about?

I didn't talk to him for a while after that. I knew he was sill looking at me the whole time we were walking. He kept stepping in all the big puddles and that got my ankles wet. I got tired of it and stopped with my hands balled into fists.

"You seriously have ADD!" I yelled at his back. He just kept walking at the same pace, kicking the water up from another puddle while he passed it. "Hey, are you listening to me? Hey! Don't walk away from me like that when I'm ranting at you, damn it!"

Axel suddenly stopped and lowered his arms again, crossing them over his chest. After that he turned his body around enough for me to see him giving me this sort of seducing sort of stare. I smelled death on him, I swear it. "Alright, go ahead. Rant all you want," He said coolly.

It just felt like he dropped a 40 ton boulder on my head. I groaned to myself and tried calming down a bit. That's it, Roxas, breathe. Just breathe. You can do this. I took in a deep breath.

"For one thing, kicking up water on my pants is gonna get 'em dirty. If my mom sees 'em, she'll rip 'em off the second I walk in the door and give me an hour long lecture about proper hygiene while I sit half naked in the doorway. I'm not ready to take that crap, ok? It's bad enough that we haven't gotten this dumb project done! I mean, _you_ said we could work on it _today_. Today, Axel! And look where we are. You're busy drenching me in water and I'm stuck here getting soaked and suddenly, I need to go pee _really badly_!

How far is this 'surprise' place of yours anyway? Hm? About another two miles? If I have to walk that far I swear I'll pee my pants. Then mom'll have to clean two things, the water and the leakage. Then she'll ground me! Ground me! She'll probably share that story with everyone at Christmas time and I'll shrink under the table and start cursing at you! Yeah, 'cause you're taking forever to get me to this place that I don't even know about! For all I know it could be a McDonald's with a playscape! Great idea! Roxas _loves_ the little kid toys!

Then maybe by the time we get back to your house, we'll have all this work to do and we'll stay up till three in the morning to get the whole thing done! So the next day we'll barely get to stay awake to even present the damn thing!

So, so, maybe, maybe you're thinking 'oh, since it's the weekend, I've got him all to myself', right? Huh? I'll just throw myself on you and we'll forget the whole thing? Hm? And _fail_! Yeah! Let's ditch school and spend our days skipping around the town! Then you'll get to kick all the water you want on my pants. I bet that's what you're thinking, right? I bet so! I...I..."

I cut myself off when I realized that Axel was just standing there; doing nothing but breathing, blinking and staring.

I straightened up a bit and rubbed the back of my neck. I wondered if voices echoed around here. "Uhm..."

Axel laughed lightly to himself. "Is that all?"

"Erm...I...I guess...I think so." Suddenly I felt crappy all over again. Way to go, Roxas. Way to 'calm down' like you said you would. Uh-huh, I bet he's just smiling to cover up from bawling. I barely even remembered half the things I said.

"Heh, that's the most you've said to me ever since we met, y'know?" He cocked his head back in the direction he was walking and turned away. "Come on, let's get outta here."

I stared gloomily at the floor and felt like something was caught in my throat. Actually, that whole spiel felt like the most I've said in _months_. I almost didn't recognize myself after I said it. I hurried up and kept a few steps behind him. I felt like jumping off a cliff.

"Quit being like that, Roxas! Come here!" Seconds after he said it, Axel reached behind and grabbed my arm. I almost froze but before I could even react, he pulled me until I was forced to be right next to him. The thing was, he didn't let go of me. He moved his arm until it was wrapped around my shoulders. I stared at his hand uneasily.

"Uh, hey, y'know..." I curiously held up a finger and was flat out cut short when Axel pulled me in closer. "Ow!" I squeaked.

"Relax, will ya, Roxas? You're acting like you've never been out of the house before."

I glared at him then quickly looked away. Good thing no one was around to see this. If there _were _someone, they might get the wrong impression with me staring at him...then again, Axel holding me like a girl was judgment itself. I stubbornly crossed my arms. "Maybe you're the one that needs to tighten up. _You're_ acting as if world peace actually happened."

"You know something?"

I sighed. "Yeah?" What, was he going to go on this whole topic about world peace? I literally thought he could've been the one that started the fighting!

"You ever wonder who came up with the idea of money being everything?"

"Maybe...why?" Ok, so world peace wasn't it.

"Just a thought. See, it's like, whenever there's a bad situation in the news, there's always money involved. It's like someone could be the greatest person in the world one day, then the next day they change into this crazed shopper on two legs. I mean, even killers think about it, right? When they're hiding something they don't want the world to see? They'll only reveal it if there's money."

"What the heck are you talking about?" He really was weird sometimes.

"If you ask me, people are just desperate. Almost _too_ desperate."

"You're so random."

He shook his head to the ground. "Yeah...and they turn to stupid cash for help all the time." Was he even listening to me? "I guess people are just bored with their lives and need to get out...they just try doing it the wrong way."

"Well, people need change, you know?"

There was this really long pause after that and it really made me shiver. People were starting to show up out of nowhere on the sides of the street but they really didn't seem to take notice in us. Even so, I kept getting this feeling like I knew everyone of them. Just keep your cool. No one will notice.

"Hey, Roxas?"

"Hm?" I said with a start.

"Think we'll ever get out of this place?" There he goes again, being a frantic little rainbow of questions. Axel the frantic rainbow...ew. Love to see that children's show one of these days.

I almost got my foot caught in a crack in the street but I quickly caught my balance. "What do you mean 'get out'? What do you mean 'we'?" I felt like flailing.

He shrugged. "Ah, y'know...for a change."

I thought about it for a second. I always had thoughts about ditching town one of these days. Just for a change, Hollow Bastion sounded like a good place to go to. They had everything; great colleges, night clubs, apartments with views, skateboarding shops and even snow. Seriously, it snowed for days there. All we ever got were puddles and little globs of white stuff that barely even lasted five minutes before the sun would melt it away.

But what was all this and 'we'?

"Maybe. There's always a chance."

"Ch, you always say 'maybe'. Usually ends up being a 'no' later on."

"Hey, I've got my opinion! I never said anything about a no!"

He kicked at a puddle again and nearly drenched half of my right foot with water. I ignored it. I actually barely even noticed it. I was too busy getting into this whole topic that I started forgetting why I was even walking. I even forgot where we were for about five seconds. All I knew was that something smelled really good right now. No, for your information it isn't the AXE. I already covered that.

Curiously, I looked up and nearly screamed when I saw my reflection in a glass door that I was only inches away from touching. "Crap!" I said, half startled, and tried looking beyond the reflection. I thought my eyes were going to fall out.

"You don't come to this place often, do you?" Axel teased, looking down at me all smug-like.

"Starbucks? The coffee place? Are you kidding? It's literally against mom's religion to take us here. And she doesn't even have a religion!" I stared up at this little plastic wreath that was hanging above the entrance door. Christmas already?

He laughed and peered in through the window. "Why not? Afraid you'll stop growing?"

I groaned and nodded. "Yeah." Apparently, mom's thoughts were wrong. Axel came here a lot and had coffee and look at him; he's a head taller than me! And I don't even drink coffee! Life is so unfair sometimes.

"Hah! He's right there! Come on, let's go." Confidently, he took hold of the door handle and pulled me along side him.

"He-ee?!" I nearly fell flat on my face when he started pulling me inside. It was like Sora when he got over excited during Christmas shopping.

We were half way into the store when I swore I heard a familiar humming at my back. The humming suddenly stopped by the time the little bell on the door tinkled a bit. It felt like Halloween all over again.

"_Hey! Roxas! What're you doing here?! Haven't seen you in a while!"_

My knees buckled and I abruptly forced myself to take a huge step to the left. I managed to slip away from Axel for now. I just hoped it was close enough.

"Hey, Roxas, it's..." Axel had his hand on the door to keep it open a bit. I wished he wasn't so respectful.

That's when I remembered the voice. It did sound familiar...almost deadly familiar. Hell, I should've found a nearby cliff earlier. I really should've. Just when my palms started sweating, I cautiously turned my head to the sound of high heels clicking at high speed against the pavement. Even behind glass she was just as creepy.

"Oh...h-hey, N-Namine..."

Surprise? Oh, yes.

xxXXxx

"What're you doing here? I've never seen you out here on the streets on the weekends," Namine said a bit cuddly. She caught the door and pulled it open enough for her to fit inside. I just had to move over for her to squeeze in and bump shoulders with me. "Oh, sorry!" She apologized and pulled the strap of her white handbag up a little more.

I smiled, a little, and moved back. "It's no..." I perked up and, out of the corner of my eye, realized that Axel was leaving to walk up to the counter. I started panicking and began walking backwards toward him. If I turned away from her that would've been rude...right? Unlike most guys, I can't read a girl as if she were a book. "...problem..."

She smiled sweetly and started giggling. "Why are you walking backwards like that?"

"Uhm...erm...I just..." Just then, I bumped into someone and quickly spun around. Of course it was Axel but he didn't really mind it. He just looked down at me and began switching glances between me and Namine; not obviously though...he was skilled at that. It made me feel like I could squeal...and not in the good way. What really bugged me was that he was smiling...and somehow, I knew it was fake.

"Yo! You there?" He yelled, resting his arm casually on the counter top. "Saw you in here a few seconds ago!"

"What the heck are you doing?" I asked. "You'll get in trouble."

"Pft, yeah right. Watch." He stepped away from the counter and put his foot up on top of it. That nearly stopped my blood flow. After that, he pulled himself up and, once standing, jumped off and shook up the whole place. It nearly made the money in the cash register pop out. Lucky for us no one was in here. If there was someone, they would either run away and find some other shop or would call the cops. Either way sounded pretty dangerous to me.

"I'm serious! You'll scare the crap out of..."

"Friend of yours?" Namine asked. She was still smiling and it nearly made my jaws hurt watching her. And even though she was smiling, she had her eyes glued on Axel with a look like she was about to scream. I figured I'd better answer quickly to stop it from happening...if it ever would.

"Uhm, y-yeah. He's..."

"_What's going on out there?"_

"Hey, where are ya? I've been waiting here for the past minute and a half and I still don't have my espresso!" Axel replied to the voice while pulling out from underneath the counter. Apparently he knew the place well. Not only the place but the people too.

Suddenly, there was this freakish crash in the back that nearly made me jump about ten feet. To my right, Namine moved back a bit and drove her attention to a door that I thought led to the back room or something. After the crash, the whole shop was shaking when there was a muffled, girlish scream coming from behind that door.

"_Aw, man! Dang!"_

I could recognize that scream from anywhere. I really didn't need to hear the voice to give the face away. As I thought, the voice, and the high scream, belonged to Demyx. He sort of stumbled into the room while hopping on one foot. He had on this forest green apron over a plain black polo and a pair of stone colored khakis. From his neck down he was covered in water. Some of his hair looked like it was flopping over too. Even the little "hi my name is: Demyx" card on his apron started to lose its cheeriness when the ink started to run.

Demyx took a couple of seconds to straighten himself out before idiotically staring around the room. "Don't ask..." He groaned and finished shaking the water out of his shoe.

I looked over at Axel who was biting his finger. I could see tears welling up in the corners of his eyes and it almost made _me_ want to laugh. He really did look like a clown when he was laughing/holding a laugh back. "O-Ok...I w-won't."

Obviously, Demyx wouldn't buy it and, while pulling his shoe back on, said, "If you have to know, the stupid espresso machine started hissing at me when I started cleaning it this morning. So, what I did, I left it on top of the back counter and when I came back, it was literally spilling out _buckets_. Buckets!" He exclaimed and squeezed out excess water from his apron. Pft, Demyx in an apron...

Axel immediately stopped laughing and, using the finger he was chewing on, scratched the side of his head. "Aw, so that means..."

"No espresso shot today, man. Sorry."

"Aw, not even a bit? I can make it work if ya pay me." Axel cracked his fingers and began rolling his shoulders around.

Demyx scoffed and walked up to one of the cash registers. "Please. I barely get paid anything in one shift. I've gotta save up for better things." He entered some code on the register and popped the money drawer open. That's when he looked up and finally locked eyes with me.

You should've seen the way he stared at me! It was like he hadn't seen me for years. His blue eyes started glowing and they even looked like they doubled in size.

"Roxas! How's it going?"

I gave a little wave at him and walked right up to the counter. "Ah, pretty good. Geez, you act like we haven't seen each other in years. It's only been the weekend."

"Yeah, but it still feels long." His head ducked down when Axel slapped a hand atop his head and he started giving him a noogie. "H-hey!" He whined.

"That's what I'm telling you," Axel said, "Work does that to people. You keep thinking that the days are longer when in reality they're just as same as the last." He let go after that and, when I stared at him, I realized he wasn't looking at me. It sort of made me curious and I almost started asking him before I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

I looked over. I almost forgot Namine was here. "N-no. You're not! It's ok..." I should've said something else. Like: "There's supposed to be a huge hurricane tomorrow. We should all go home." Then again, I didn't want to be rude. What would she do to me if there wasn't a hurricane tomorrow?

"Ooo, friend of yours, Roxas?" I turned back to Demyx who was leaning over the counter with his arms crossed. He kept looking at me then Namine then me again. I hated it beyond reason.

"Ah...this is Namine. She..."

"Nice to meet you," Namine said and politely waved her hand. She was scaring me...really.

"Yeah. I've known her for a while...since Sora and I were kids. She just showed up a couple minutes ago." I added that last part in quickly. I didn't want him getting any ideas. "Axel and I were just..." I took a second to look around and behind the counter. "Where in the neck is he anyway?"

Demyx looked up with a start and spun around frantically. "What the...?"

"_Hey! I think I got it!"_

That's when Demyx and I exchanged panicked looks. Not Namine. She was too damn happy to be freaked out. Demyx broke into a run and quickly forced his way into the back room, first slipping on a puddle of water. What a klutz.

"_Quit trying to fix it! I told you it's not gonna work!" _Demyx.

"_Seriously! Doesn't it look better than it did before?"_

At that point I figured that Axel really and truly had ADD. If he couldn't stay in one place it was another. And that wasn't always a good thing. He always had to move around...it was like taking care of a little kid. Yeah, I can say that more than once and it'll still be true.

"_Just-just go outside, ok? I'll figure something out. My boss'll kill me if he found out this thing caught on fire. Then my pay would go real low!"_

The door busted open and Axel went flying out. He rubbed the top of his head and glanced over his shoulder at the door for a second, chuckling to himself the way he always does. I could read him like a book; that was for sure. "Hey, you getting anything, Roxas?" He asked. I felt weird talking to him, though. I almost didn't want to answer. I kept getting concerned about what made him switch like that.

"I mean, if you're not getting anything..." I started.

"_Hey! I'll fix you guys up something! Ow...hey, Roxas? You allergic to anything?"_ Demyx sounded like my mom yelling over the vacuum cleaner. I sort of missed mom all of a sudden.

"Not that I know of! But you don't have t'..."

"'_Kay! Be right there! Just grab a cookie or something, 'kay?"_

Namine wouldn't stop giggling. I pictured her giggling so hard that her lungs would pop right out of her. Actually, that was too scary so I shook it off. You'd think she never even talked to a guy on a regular basis. She settled herself by this one round table with two sides. She scooted into one side and sat by the window. Ok, now I just had to make this work. Don't sit next to her 'cause that would be awkward...but don't sit next to Axel, if he comes back, 'cause that would be...awkward. Stand? Sounds good. 'D' dates are full of dares. Take them head on...I felt like crawling away. Maybe she'd forget! What the hell am I saying?

I looked behind me where Axel was leaning against the glass case that had all the cookies in it. He had his back turned away but I could sort of tell he was reading the menu on the wall. I just got worried and slightly sad when I saw him. I started thinking if maybe I did something wrong. Either that or he was just disappointed he wasn't getting his daily shot. No, I was pretty sure it was me.

"Ok, that's done..." I looked over and saw Demyx exit the back room. He was mostly dried off now. I figured it was because of the running around he'd been doing. He walked right past Axel, who barely even seemed to notice him, and over to the cash register. Then, he mysteriously leaned over the counter again, arms crossed, and ducked down low so that the register would hide him a bit. He looked up once and quickly signaled to me to keep it down by pressing a finger over his lips.

"What?" I asked but he shushed me. So I leaned forward just like he did. This felt like sharing secrets like a kid. "What?" I whispered again. I hoped Axel couldn't hear. I hoped Namine wouldn't hear.

"Hey, you think he's pissed about not getting an espresso? He's not usually like this. I mean, it's not like him to be spazzing out then all of the sudden being all secluded in a corner. Something happen? Did he get a call from his dad or something?"

I shook my head until I nearly dizzied myself. "No, no. His dad didn't call." I didn't feel like talking about parents right now.

He let out a sigh after hearing that.

"To tell you the truth, I don't know."

There was a pause when out of the blue Demyx said, "Hey, I'll start something for ya, alright? Peppermint mocha sound good to you?" He straightened up and walked over to the machines. What was with everyone and mood swings?

"Uh...yeah? Hey, what's with all the Christmas stuff? Kinda early don'tcha think?" Now I was really confused. I mean _really_ confused. Christmas, secrets, mood swings...why the heck Namine was here in the first place...

"You ok with regular or decaf?"

"Ah..." I thought about it for a second. It really only did take me a second to think it through. Trust me; it was the only chance I had to have coffee. "Regular," I said. I felt like a coffee-ordering-pro.

"Vente...Grande?" He pulled up these two red cardboard cups; one medium and one about _double_ that size. It was bigger than a large slurpie at the burger places. I felt like drooling and pointed at the taller one. Vente...cool. I seriously am a pro at this...let's just try not to over react. I was having way too much fun and I didn't even drink the coffee yet.

Demyx put the smaller cup back down on the counter and sort of let out a whistle. "Gee, getting hyped up for something?"

I laughed sheepishly. "No. I'm just tired I guess." I had to teach myself that lying was wrong. To tell you the truth, I was definitely anything than tired. I felt like I could stay awake for another week if I could.

"Oh, sure. Bet you've got somethin' goin' on with Little Miss Daisy over there..." He looked up from one of the coffee machines he was working on to nod his head toward Namine. I looked behind me and started waving my hands in front of me like a madman.

"No, no! It's not like that! I was coming here with Axel! Not her!" I forced my mouth shut and swallowed hard. Cautiously I looked over at Axel. He was still emo-ing over there by the cookie shelves. I bet he heard me. He just wasn't in the mood to think about me at all.

Uselessly, I walked up to the pick up counter and rested my head over my crossed arms. I was really starting to get worried and Namine wasn't making things easier. Of all times...of all times! But it's not like I'd tell her to leave. I couldn't just walk over to her and say I was on a really important date. She'd most likely have another giggle fit and say something like, 'heehee, ok, Roxas' then walk away. Girls...they never take people seriously.

"Suddenly I'm beginning to think that you really _do_ need some caffeine today, huh?"

Lazily, I pulled my head up from the counter and moved back when I saw a tall cup sliding toward my face. I caught it and nearly dropped it when I felt how hot it was.

"Here," Demyx said, tossing me a cardboard sleeve, "you'll need that. Oh, and, don't mention this to my boss if you see him. He'll kill me if he sees I'm giving away free coffee."

I scoffed and leaned against the counter with my back turned to him. "I don't even know what your boss looks like, Demyx."

"Oh, hey, does Namine want something?"

"Uh, I..."

"Namine! You want a coffee?" Demyx yelled. Man, was he embarrassing! Lucky for us no one was in here right now.

Namine looked up from her cell phone, she was probably texting, and smiled. Again with the smiling! "Oh, no thanks, I'm good." And she turned back to tapping at the keys at random speed. That was another thing girls were good at. They could text like hell.

"Well, I might as well think of something to make for Axel. But, knowing him, nothing could really replace his shot. He hates trying new things sometimes."

I peeled off the little green sticker that covered the opening on the cup and let the steam puff at my face. It smelled like candy canes. I wasn't sure if I should reply. Talking about Axel right now seemed pretty dangerous. "Heh, yeah..." was all I could say. To try and get my mind off it, I took a huge sip from the cup and swallowed quick enough before it could burn my throat. Ugh, it was like Sunday night at the bar for teens. Demyx the bartender...wow.

"Well, you might as well go accompany her. She's getting kinda..."

"Yeeeah, Roxas. Why don't _we_ join her over there, hm?"

Just as I was taking another sip, I felt something slap on my left shoulder and, for whatever reason, I held the coffee in my mouth. It burned like hell. I swallowed quickly and coughed. "W-What...?" I spat.

"You heard me. Come on, look at her! She looks lonely sitting over there by herself, yeah?" I finally was able to get the thought through my head: Axel was talking to me again. Even five minutes felt like all eternity when Axel didn't talk. The guy talked for hours on end that, if you hang around him as much as I do, you'd almost die of boredom if he went mute for even five seconds.

I felt a push on my back. He was forcing me to do a lot of things today! "Hey! Ok, ok! Alright!" What was I supposed to do? Go back to thinking of mentioning that there's supposed to be a hurricane later on today? I hated myself for being such a coward. With Axel still holding onto my shoulder, I started walking toward Namine's table. Ok, so the walking was more like baby stepping but, come on, you'd be freaked out with hormones racing at top speed, right? Right?

I at least wished Axel would let go of my arm, though. Man, it's hot in here.

"Ah...uhm...you doing ok over here, Namine?" Real smooth, Roxas. You sound like a love sick puppy. Heck, she's _looking_ at you like a love sick puppy!

Namine shut her phone, it was a Razr...damn, and looked up at me intently. "Just fine! I was just talking to a friend of mine from school. She's thinking of stopping by in a bit!" She put on another plastic smile. "Hey! Maybe you can meet her! She'd like that!"

I forced myself to laugh. I nearly killed myself trying. I placed my cup on the table and turned to the side opposite of where she was sitting. I stopped myself when I caught sight of Axel already sitting down, leaning forward into the table with a plastic smile of his own. God I wanted to scream! And he's just looking across the table like it's nothing! The bastard!

"Hehe, aren't you going to sit down?" Namine asked.

There was a cold sweat coming on...crap. Don't be too obvious. Think...just think. Whew it's so damn hot in here!

Politely, I slipped into the outside seat _beside Namine_. I couldn't imagine putting those two words together in a sentence before. She gently nudged my shoulder with hers and cocked her head to the side like some sort of kid modeling for the Frosted Flakes cereal boxes. I'd love to see the day...

"You look a little tense," Axel said. He kept staring at me like I was the suspect and he was the cheesy detective.

"I'm not..." I replied, keeping my voice low. I gave him sort of a shifty look with my eyes but he just half winked back at me. He really doesn't get this does he?

"Well, we haven't been properly introduced yet, have we?" He turned it over to Namine who looked right at him. Wow, no one ever did that often. She obviously had guts.

"Heheh, no."

"I hear your name's Namine, huh? Fits a pretty girl like you."

Ugh, gag me with a spoon! Or better yet, put some sort of killer disease on the spoon, gag me with it, then let me die a quick and painless death!

"Hmhm, aw, thank you!" In the corner of my eye I saw she was blushing. And when Namine blushes, the whole room heats up. You can feel it. And that's not any normal blush, it's an _I love you_ sort of blush. You don't know what trouble you're getting yourself into, man. She crushes on you: it's over.

"Name's Axel," He added all smooth like. Seriously, his voice was like velvet. That's when he just had to do it. Out of all things...he winked at her. Oh, hell no. And she's still giggling? When will the madness end?! I felt like smacking my head on the table so hard that I would pass out.

"So I've heard. You're friends with Roxas?"

As if he couldn't add more to the Mr. Suave act, Axel slowly leaned back into his chair _while_ raking a hand through his hair. Oh, please.

"Ah, I guess you could say that. Right, Rox?"

Enough with the nicknames! "Uh...yeah. Real close." I hoped that wasn't too sarcastic. But anyway, she didn't seem to notice. I prayed that the coffee would pull my mind away. It actually did work for a bit. Maybe that's just when I burned my tongue. I reached forward for the cup and pulled it closer to me before drinking dime sizes bit by bit. I pretended to take interest in the floor. Boy was I great at acting.

"Aw, and Demyx didn't even make me something?"

I looked up from my coffee. I was feeling pretty jittery. "Doesn't know what you want."

"Well, what're you drinking? Lemme see..." Without so much as a 'please', he reached all the way across the table to me and snatched the cup away. I tried training myself to cancel out Namine's bunny laughs. If she did it again I swear I would go deaf.

Curiously, Axel popped the cover off and got blasted by this puff of steam. I bit the inside of my mouth to refrain from laughing. He really was a klutz. A lot of people I knew were idiots sometimes. It's sort of rare to think what he'll do next; even if you do know him well like I do or Riku does. Pretty much all I guess from the guy was what he'd do when we were alone...and even then I got only 10 of the guesses right.

"Shoot, you got all the whipped cream already? Heavy drinker," He said, setting the cup back on the table. I was surprised he didn't swear. I guessed it was because there was a girl here. Amazing what girls do to guys...

"Hey, yo, Demyx!"

"What-y?" He sounded pretty far away. But when I looked around I couldn't see Demyx. He was probably trying to fix that machine in the back again for all I knew.

"Toss me the whipped cream, will ya?"

"Why can't you get it yourself?"

"Aw, come on...please? I don't work here; I wouldn't know where everything is."

"Since when have you even worked on anything?"

"Oh...I've worked..." Just by hearing that sneakiness in his voice did I sort of shake. He even took a second to shoot a quick glance at me before looking over at the register again. You would've mistaken him for some sort of perve. "I just don't think we should delve into it..."

"Fine, but just 'cause you've got people with you and all..." Then, from somewhere randomly behind the counter, this long, silver bottle came flying at our table. I started spazzing...that's probably just the coffee but, man, I felt like I was gonna go for the roof.

Swiftly, Axel caught the bottle with one hand and shook it up a bit. "Thanks!"

"Whatever!" Demyx sounded pissed.

"Ah, ignore him." Axel said, pointing the tip of the bottle in the center of the coffee, "he's just tweaked that he's working and I'm not." He gave the nozzle a tight squeeze and out came this huge glob of whipped cream. It nearly oozed out of the cup. He twirled the bottle in his hands for a second then set it on the empty seat next to him, evilly staring at the overflowing mountain of white.

"What the heck do you think you're...?" I paused. Literally _dead_ paused. My body started getting even twitchier than it was a few seconds ago. He slid his finger over the cream and slowly licked it off. E...ew...no...I wouldn't exactly say 'ew'. The bad thing was, he kept doing it and he kept looking at me while he was. I wasn't sure if he was being serious or what but what ever it was, it was making my leg bounce like a bastard.

"Hm..." He chuckled and took his finger out of his mouth. Phew. "Tastes a lot better. I'll think of getting that next time, huh?"

"Uh...y-yeah. Sure." I looked away when he recapped the cup and slid it back my way. Namine wasn't talking or anything but I could tell she was smiling. Like I said: when the girl smiles or even blushes, the whole room can feel it. I wouldn't be surprised if Sora could feel it too.

_I'm on tonight, my hips don't lie and I'm startin' to feel you, boy. Come on, let's go, real slow; baby like this is..._

"Oh! Sorry! That's my phone!" Quickly, Namine reached for her handbag to her right and pulled out her phone. It was like everything she owned was white. She flipped it open and lifted it up to her mouth. "Hello? Oh, hey! Hold on for a sec, ok?" She put it down on her shoulder and looked over at me. "'Scuse me. I'll be back in a sec."

I moved out of the table for her to get by. I can't tell you how happy I was that she was leaving...actually, I was partially happy. That just meant I was gonna be alone with Axel and his new obsession with whipped cream. What a fun date, huh?

I took my time getting back into my seat. Namine left for the bathroom behind us and I really had no idea where the heck Demyx went. The guy floated.

But when I did get back in my spot, I suddenly felt like sticking there with super glue. It was like the world was lifted off my shoulders for a while. I let out a deep breath and slipped lower into the seat. "Geez..." I said breathlessly.

"The girl's got some taste in music, I'll give her that much." Axel stated, resting an arm up on the back of his seat.

"Let's not get into the topic of Namine for a sec, ok? Ugh, as if this day couldn't get any worse...!" I groaned, lightly slapping the table. I was half looking at Axel and half looking out the window; I had this feeling that I was looking at him more, though.

"Don't worry, Roxas. It'll get better. Ok, let's forget about Namine for a minute. Just think about...hm, well..." He trailed off without finishing what he was going to say. I sort of got suspicious and looked away form the window to stare at him at an angle. That's when I felt a little tap on my left foot. I looked up with a start and felt another tap on my right foot.

"Hey! What gives?" I asked, annoyed.

His snickering came back again and at that point I knew my feet were in danger under the table. I pulled them back a bit but no matter how far I moved away he just came back with another tap. Actually, the tapping was more like nudging now.

"Quit it!"

I tried kicking him away. That didn't work 'cause I just got my foot caught in between both of his. And even when I tried pulling away he held me tighter and began nudging my ankle. Dammit! He was getting higher than my ankle even!

I half screamed and yanked my foot away. When I looked under the table I saw his feet inching closer to mine. Oh, no, you don't. Quickly, I put my feet together and kept them frozen for a bit while he kept closing in on me. When he was close enough I darted forward and caught them.

"Ha! Gotcha!" I exclaimed.

"As if!" Somehow, he slipped away from me and went back to massaging my ankles. Massaging? What the heck? I was laughing myself and, with my other foot, caught his other one off guard and pushed it with the tip of my shoe. He glanced under the table and put on a thin smile.

"Oh, you're like that now, huh?"

"Like what? Like this?" I added pressure to the pushing, hoping he'd stop nudging me. I actually thought he was hurting up until I realized he wasn't even pushing me anymore.

"Yeeeah...like that." I could tell he was biting the corner of his bottom lip. He moved again and caught my right foot. Softly, he started inching under the fabric around my ankles. I twitched 'cause it sort of tickled. But if Axel knew that, it would be all over. So I forced myself to sit unmoving while our short game of footsie turned into _real_ footsie. There's a difference, you know.

"I told you, you were tense," He said, still massaging up my leg. Really, he was at my knee now.

"Mmm...no. I told you I...wasn't." What's the use? I sound too relaxed. Even if I was relaxed, I was managing to rub at his other foot. I could tell he liked that.

"Hmhm..." He left his eyes half way open and went on looking at me like he was going to fall asleep. I wondered if this was what it felt like to be drunk.

Suddenly I felt like making out again. Really. This time it was definitely a stronger urge. Damn coffee...damn cologne...everything I saw was relating back to making out! But right here right now would be sort of weird. The blinds were half closed and all and it wasn't like there were any people inside. I was even wondering if the closed sign was switched to open. Knowing Demyx, it probably wasn't. I had to know.

"Uhm, Axel?" I asked, not all too confident in myself. Then again, when am I ever so confident?

"Hm?"

"I was wondering...since no one's here..." I stopped. It's ok, you can do this. It's ok...here goes. "Can we...uh..."

"Ohh, I see. You wanna make out don't you?" He said it sort of cockily. He raised an eyebrow up at me and already I saw this tiny spark in his eye. I was getting used to the mind reading by now.

"Uhm...uh-huh...sort of...?" I wasn't good at this sort of thing.

Axel stopped massaging me at that point. He straightened himself up and leaned forward into the table halfway; just looking at me dazed. "Well? Sort of? Ok, no one's watching, right?" He made it sound so simple.

That was weird. I was thinking he would come over here and, you know, do it. And Demyx said he wasn't usually up for anything new. What was he saying? I'm the one he was best describing. But...still, I was gonna give it a shot. I double checked the blinds then the door to the bathroom behind me. Well...as long as he's comfortable with it...question is: am I? What am I saying? I'm the one that wanted to in the first place!

I got up, nervously, and twitching to a point where I thought my fingers were going to fall off, and copied him by scooting halfway across. I thought our noses were going to slam into each other. It's staring time again...he's winning. Everything's a game when you're talking sex with Axel...I did not just say sex.

"So...tell me something," He said.

I blinked and waited.

"How do you 'sort of' make out with somebody?"

Truthfully, I didn't know the answer to that one. Usually when I don't know what to say it comes out wrong. Hey, it's not my fault! "Well...I guess, uhm, it's only a two second thing?"

"Two seconds?" He asked roughly, "Boy, you round down a bit too much. That's not even long enough for me 't..."

"Hey, hey, ok, ok, alright! Let's not get into details about it!" I said frantically. I made sure to keep my voice down though. Namine sure was a quiet talker. And here I was thinking that girl's were like theater sound systems when it came to girl talk: face to face or phone to phone.

Axel shrugged his shoulders then eyed me down again like someone watching clouds. "First of all, you really should calm down a bit more."

"What? Will you stop..."

"Ah, ah, ah, calm down." He lifted up a finger to catch my attention and lowered it onto the table. I followed it and slowed my breathing. To tell you the truth, my shoulders felt like they were gonna fall off. "Good. I told you to forget about girls for a while, didn't I?"

I nodded. "Yeah..." I sadly said to the floor. I really wasn't feeling all too proud of myself at the moment.

I was feeling that stupid burn on the back of my tongue. I cringed a little and bit down until the tip of my tongue started to tingle. Maybe I bit down too hard 'cause, for some reason, Axel moved over to my side of the table and wrapped his arms around my waist. Again with the forcing. He probably thought I was depressed or something.

The next thing I remember was starting things off at a low key. I really forgot where we even were. I sort of thought we were both still in his room but the smell of coffee changed that. He was still keeping his hands at my waist. That was good, at least...the thing was, mine got a mind of their own and inched to Axel's waist too.

Axel stopped for a second. I still had my eyes closed. It's impossible to keep them open when you're kissing. At least for me. "Well, that long enough? You _did_ say sort of."

"I...I don't think so?" Why couldn't I just be direct? 'A': keep things active and alive with your actions. Hayner was right; it did sound like a cheesy infomercial.

We started up again. I wasn't sure if I liked slow all so much yet. I guess it was gonna take some getting used to since both of us went pretty fast last night. Just thinking about last night I gave him a hard push with my tongue...crap. Some action, Roxas. But that wasn't all I did. You should've seen it. If you were sitting there outside the window you would've had your jaw on the cement by now...I mean, if you knew me or Axel.

Here's what I did...I can't believe I'm saying it.

After that push Axel sort of gasped into me and decided it would be fun to bite the corner of my mouth. Yeah...it was fun in a way. I responded with a gasp/groan of my own and got my hands working up again. They started searching around his waist before stopping in his back pockets. Yes, for your information that's where the butt is.

_Oh crap, oh, crap, ass grab, ass grab! _That's seriously what I was alerting myself the whole time.

My hands slid into the pockets and, all on their own, squeezed ever-so lightly. I didn't even know that I was groping Axel until I got this hint from a tight grab at my lower back. It wasn't a bad grab though. It was one of those hints that he likes it _a lot_.

I honestly couldn't believe that I was standing in a public place making out. _Standing_. I didn't want to collapse on the floor or anything. I seriously am too young for this sort of thing...

Just as we were getting into it more, I knew it was _real_ making out. It's sort of embarrassing to say how I knew. But, right then and there, it didn't so much matter.

Our tongues were all over the place. I must have covered Axel's cheeks a million times and he must have covered little bits of my neck _double_ that much. My lips and neck just felt really wet but, like I said, I couldn't care less. So much for' sort of'. I was even still groping him.

"Getting tired?" He asked. After all that, his voice was still slick as ever. I wanted to melt.

"Kind of..." Before I knew it I had my butt back down. More like my whole body laid out on the bench. I looked up at Axel. He had one hand up on the table for balance and the other one on the back rest of the seats.

"Told you, you should've..."

"_Huh? W-what...Roxas?_"

Namine?

Axel!

"_Almost got it! Hey, you guys ok, in there?"_

Demyx?!

* * *

**heheh, demyx...i love him uberly. X3**

**i really don't know why i made him work at starbucks but i guess it was this one icon i saw on deviant one day while browsing. DEMYX IS THE GREATEST BARTENDER EVR! ahem, yes. X3**

**i hate my obsession with cliffhangers! it's not that i love to hang people off cliffs or anything, i just...ugh! cliffhangers are...i don't even know. -falls over-**

**anyway, i was re-reading my chapters and noticed sooooo many mistakes. i dunno. i write the chapters right when i write them; no planning ahead so forgive me if i have mistakes floating around! DX**

**hm, is that all? well, if i don't update before christmas, think of this as an early present? O.O well, happy holidays to you guys and thanks again for all your reviews!**

**_WHHHHHHHHEEEEEEEE!  
kokoro77_**

**_PS: sorry for too much of the kissing. i fail at expressing boy-love DX_**


	22. Chapter Twenty Two: Busted

**hello, guys. i worked for so long on this chapter that i feel like i've burned up my keyboard...x.x to tell you the truth, i'm not feeling so loved right now. ;(  
i appreciate the people that are still reading and reviewing. sadly, i must confess that akuroku seems to be dying out there, isn't it? i still have a strong passion for it and all but i guess it doesn't really clique with most others anymore...i feel useless writing now. -emos in corner-**

**well, in other news, this chapter was so fluffy to write. XD photobooths, preps, rings...oop...-runs away- hope you have fun reading! ...i talk too much -shot-**

Chapter Twenty-Two: "Busted..."

Now the coffee really started to kick in. Oh, dammit 't hell! All through my head were these little images of myself screaming cusses. It's all your fault! It's all your fault! If you hadn't asked a stupid question like that then this wouldn't be happening! Oh sure! 'wanna make out?' What are you? Some sort of obsesser?

I couldn't believe I had the time to even think about all of that crap. My eyes widened and, before I knew it I was rolling on the floor with this pain throbbing on the entire right side of my body. I peeked up from under the table just to see what was going on. Man, I wasn't even sure if I wanted to.

"Uh, uhm, d-did you find it yet, Roxas?!" Axel yelled at the seat cushion, pretending to be looking for something. He was yelling like I was a deaf person.

"What?" I mouthed. He took a second to poke his head under the table.

"Just play along...!" He whispered and went on searching at random where we had been sitting.

What choice did I have? Hopefully if the two of them didn't see us then playing this game would be nothing but a steal. Please...please say they didn't see anything...just tell me that Demyx had his apron over his eyes or Namine was too preoccupied in texting!

It was pretty nasty under the table, I have to admit. Even if Demyx seemed like a hard worker it didn't seem like he pushed hard enough. I nearly got my hand stuck on a piece of already been chewed gum. It was almost like if I poked it, it would screech at me and crawl away. Man, my imagination is insane. I got on all fours, avoiding the wad of gum, and pretended to scratch around the floor. Ew...

"N-not yet! _Hey, what exactly are you looking for?"_ I hissed up at him.

"Well, keep looking for...uh...my 5 munny!" He seriously wasn't going to win with that happy-go-lucky voice.

His 5 munny? Oh, that's just perfect. But if it was keeping the two of them quiet...what am I saying? If they're quiet then they obviously saw something! I hurried up and kept the act going. I was blushing. I just knew it. I just prayed that I didn't have that kind of blush like Namine.

"Wow, you guys must really be broke! Going all crazy like that for a small munny piece?" Demyx said, half laughing in pity. I heard some shoes scuffing across the floor followed by a loud screech when the table started to move. "Hey! Get outta there! Don't be so desperate! I didn't even get the chance to brush up under here!" I felt a light tug from the edge of my pants and, relieved, calmly inched out from underneath the table. At least he sounded normal.

"Oh...guess you'll have to let it go?" I turned to Axel who had his head stuck over the side of the seats. I tried to sound encouraging.

Axel looked up and clicked his tongue. By looking at his face I knew he was acting. But, like I said, if you didn't know him, or if you didn't pay much attention, you'd think he was the world's most pissed off guy right now. "Dang, and I was saving that for something."

Demyx chuckled and slapped him on the back. "Aw, don't be like that. Here, if it bugs you that much you can take one of mine." He started reaching into his pocket for something before Axel stopped him by raising his hand.

"No, no, it's ok. Like you said, 'getting crazy over a small munny piece'..."

Half of my body was practically simmered down. Just to make sure Demyx wasn't iffy, I used the back of the cuff of my jacket to wipe off my lips and cheeks. They still felt sort of wet. Well, as for the other half of my body, the side effect of the coffee was still squirming around. I finally remembered that Namine's voice was there too. I straightened up and carefully looked over Axel's shoulder. I half sighed when I saw Namine standing there. I thought she might've taken off running or something.

But what got me was that _she wasn't smiling._ My face suddenly went straight just by looking at her staring at the floor; her feet pointed towards each other and her hands crossed protectively over her handbag. That's the thing about her: whatever emotion she's going through, it affects everybody. I took a step forward in concern.

"Uh, Namine? Are you ok?"

Demyx and Axel looked over at her too. She looked up and tried to smile up at us. It was still a depressing smile. "I was about to tell you...my friend needs some help back at her house...she's packing up. See..." Her eyes started welling up when she said it. "Her father got a new job over at Radiant Garden..."

"Oh, so, she's leaving town?" Axel asked. He really was good at changing emotions too. I almost thought he was going to go over to her and hug her.

Sadly, Namine nodded and sniffled, blinking back a few stray tears. She smiled at us again and took a step to the exit door at her right. "I'm sorry! It was really nice to meet both of you! And it was nice to see you out, Roxas."

"Uh, sure. Yeah. You, too. Take care, ok?" There was a sharp feeling tugging at my heart when I watched her open the door and take off walking fast. When she closed the door, the sign on the door flipped over from CLOSED to OPEN. I knew it wasn't changed yet.

"Ah! So that's why people haven't been coming in?! Agh!!!" Frustrated, Demyx ruffled up his hair like mad and growled nonsense to the floor. "Ahhhh...now my boss'll _really_ kill me."

"Calm down, Demyx," Axel said, "No one'll come running in here wanting to kill you. That's Marulxia's job."

"Gee...thanks."

I didn't hear much of the rest of their conversation though. I went on staring at the door that Namine went busting out of. I kept wondering if she really was heading over to her friend's house. She didn't even mention a name. Truthfully, I was dumbstruck to see a girl like her flat out depressed. If it was making her cry...I hoped it wasn't something I did. Real smooth, Roxas.

I sighed and looked away from the door. I forced myself to 'cause right now wasn't the time to be sad. I already pictured myself at home again, locked up in my room trying to fall asleep. I thought I was over that already.

"Think she'll be ok walking home by herself?" I asked my voice monotone.

They both looked up, well, Demyx halfway did, he was too upset to think about other things, and Axel looked pretty depressed himself when he looked at me. Great. I'm messing with everyone's head.

"Hey, c'mere. Let's get outta here, huh?" Carefully, he reached forward and took hold of my left wrist. He was gentle about doing it. He knows when to be...that's what I like so much about him.

"You sure you guys can't stick around a bit? It's probably gonna be a dull day since everyone in town thinks the shop's closed." Demyx finally fixed himself right but he still looked like he could melt into a puddle.

I didn't respond. I was too busy staring at my feet. Not that there was anything special about them. This was really the first time in a while that I felt like crying. You're such a baby...

"Nah. We gotta get going. I promised we'd get started working on our project..." Even he sounded sad...concerned. But I wasn't sure if it was about Namine. Project. Did that mean we were going back? Curiously, I looked up and saw Demyx waving at the two of us. At what point did we start walking away? I guess Axel didn't feel like I belonged here anymore.

"See you guys in class tomorrow, 'kay?" I heard Demyx call from behind us.

"Yeah. See ya!" Axel called back. Not like he really meant it.

Great. He just had to remind me about school.

xxXXxx

Suddenly, the weather outside felt like a freezer. The sun was out and the sky was just as orange as it usually was. Like the border between autumn and winter; that's what it felt and looked like. I stared at the ground and the puddles scattered around it. By tomorrow they'd freeze.

"I can't help but feel bad..." I said solemnly. Strange. And here I was thinking that I wouldn't bother talking about it. Really, since when did I ever care about girls at all?

Axel scoffed and we stopped short where we were standing. I looked up for a second and saw we were standing in the middle of a busy sidewalk. Busy? Since when was the town busy today? I panicked when this little girl and her mother nearly came colliding with me.

"Ahaha! Oh, sorry, mister!" The little girl, blonde hair pulled up into two pigtails, said sweetly and ran off behind us.

"Honey! Sorry. She's a little excited..." The mother, another blonde, apologized to me and took off running after her daughter in the crowd. I didn't even get the time to respond. It really gets me...why are girls like a whole different species to the world?

I scratched my head and started off down the crowded side-streets. I couldn't even count how many people there were and I swore that if you caught sight of one person and then looked the other way and back, you would've lost track of them in a second. Last time things were this insane was back at our first basketball game...I really didn't want to think about it all too much.

"Hey, are you comin' or not?"

I looked up and turned to my left to where I heard Axel's voice. At least he had red hair. If he didn't I would've lost him already. The guy stuck out like a sore thumb. "Huh?"

"Come on! We're just gettin' started!" Without me half expecting, I tripped once when Axel grabbed my hand and started pulling me through the crowd. No one seemed to care that we were forcing our way through. There's not enough time to say you're sorry when there's so many people.

"What're you talking about?" I asked, trying to wake my feet up.

"Just come on!" He glanced over his shoulder at me and kept trudging through. It wasn't really until I started looking around a bit more that I was able to recognize where we were. Actually, it was somewhere I barely even went to 'cause mom rarely let Sora or me go. This way and that there were people entering stores and exiting stores; white paper bags and _Holister Clothing Company_ shopping bags. Almost at every lamp post there were two to three people stringing up white lights and hanging up large glitter snowflakes on top. At one store there was '50 off!' and at other stores there was '25 off all shoes!' signs hanging in the windows. That's when I knew it.

First holiday themed Starbucks, obsessive shoppers, and now decorations and sales?

"Yes! There it is!"

I turned my head forward and blinked. My eyes were getting dried out from keeping them wide open for so long. Amazingly, Axel managed to find this blank pocket spot to the far side of the sidewalk. We came to a stop and I stared around for a bit. I wondered why people weren't coming here.

"_Heehee! Aw, that's a cute one!"_ I heard a girl's voice squeal with delight ahead of me. There were a couple more laughs and 'aws' coming from inside this tall, light blue, metal box standing up against the wall. I nearly died when I read: "PHOTOBOOTH&STICKERS!" printed diagonally on the side of the booth. Next to the words there was a white curtain that covered half of the exit to the booth. Under the curtain I saw three pairs of flip-flops kicking their heels up and bouncing like crazy...girls.

"I'm...confused..." I went on gaping at the booth.

Axel just laughed and let go of my hand. Oh, yeah. I forgot he was holding it in the first place. "Why?"

"A photobooth?"

"Yeah, so?"

I sighed lightly and pointed stiffly as the curtain started squirming around. Axel laughed again.

"You'll see..." He lifted up a finger to his chin, probably trying to reassure me, and then put his hand into his pocket. "Watch closely."

Right when he said it, three middle school girls, maybe in the 7th year, filed out of the booth, each of them holding about three sheets of photo stickers. One of them, the tallest, she was still about two inches shorter than me, was a brunette wearing jean capris and a white tank top. The shortest girl was a dirty blonde and she wore flared out jeans with a dressy blue polo. The last girl was like a paint up doll. Her hair was pale blonde and her entire face was layered with makeup that didn't even match with her denim skirt and black long sleeve shirt. Doesn't it occur to them that it's _cold_?

"Geez...ok, let's give it a shot," Axel sighed and started clearing his throat.

I looked up at him then back at the girls. "What are you doing?" I whispered. But what ever he was doing, it was working...for the girls. They looked up from their pictures to stare up at both of us. All three of them had this sparkle stuck in their eyes that wouldn't stop. They were dead quiet and just stood there, blocking the entrance to the booth.

"Heheh. Looks like you guys are havin' fun," He said smoothly.

The painted up girl perked up and smiled wickedly. "Oh, mm-hm! Girl's day out, right?"

"And I don't blame you," He replied.

"We've been in there for, like, I dunno, hours?" The brunette smiled just as widely as the others. Well no wonder no one was walking around here. No one had a fat chance of getting their picture taken,

"Yeah! We were actually gonna take some more to put on our folders for school," The shortest girl perked up. You could tell they were fighting for a winning spot with Axel. Something was burning in me all of a sudden. It made me want to knock one of them out flat.

"How's about giving me and my best friend here and try at it, huh?"

Best friend? That just made the heat turn up even more.

The three of them were dead quiet again. It took a while before the one with all the make up said, "Well, I dunno..." mischievously.

"Tell ya what," Axel started, "when we're all through you girls get a picture." That killed them. They started shaking and getting all giddy like five year olds at a birthday party. I wasn't sure if it was the way he said it or the thought of holding a 1x1 inch photo of Axel and me that made them twitch. It was sure making me twitch; both the voice and the picture thought.

"Oh, ok. I guess we could give you boys a turn..." The short girl said flirtatiously. They stepped away from the curtain and huddled together in front of the photobooth sign.

"Hm, you girls know fair play, don't you?" Axel looked over at me again and stifled a quick laugh. He cocked his head toward the booth and I followed him. The laughing from the girls grew by the time both of us were only a step away from getting inside. I didn't even look at Axel but I could already guess that he winked or smirked or something that made them have a giggle fit.

What freaked me out the most was when I heard, _"Ooo, the blonde's ass isn't bad..."_ When I heard it, I pushed at Axel's lower back which made both of us trip stupidly inside the booth.

"Ugh! Why'd you have to go and be a flirt?" I hissed, trying to keep my voice down. I wasn't sure he heard me, he was laughing so hard.

"Woo! Aw, just tryin' to have some fun, y'know?" He dabbed the corner of his eye.

I rolled my eyes and surprisingly managed to squeeze onto the little blue bench that was placed in front of a huge screen. On the screen there were little flowers and shapes of all colors floating around the word: "Photos!" The pictures in the background kept changing from different example shots of girlfriends with their boyfriends and little kids with their moms.

Axel nudged my shoulder. "What's wrong? You're jealous?" He asked smugly.

"Huh? Are you crazy? No!" I spat out. "I'm just saying that you should've left those girls alone!"

"Pft. Yeah. If I didn't then they wouldn't have moved away from this thing." He pulled out a medium sized munny ball from his pocket and placed it into the round collector next to the screen in front of us. The little trap door underneath the munny opened and sent the munny rolling down a wide silver pipe. After that, the screen blinked once and changed into a screen with four panels: one holiday themed, one with hearts, one with animals, and one with balloons.

"Alright, we can get up to five shots with this one. What frame looks cool?" He asked, using the keyboard to scroll through the choices. Like I guessed, he chose the heart frames first. He really is a flirt.

I shook my head lightly. "Hearts?"

"Why not? Just try it!" Without waiting for me to answer, Axel clicked the first heart frame, with a large pink cut out of a heart in the middle, and quickly pulled me into a hug.

"Wha?!" I screamed when the countdown from five started on the monitor.

"Just look cute!"

Hopelessly, I thought of the first thing that came to mind. I pulled up my left hand and made a little peace sign at the camera. It flashed right on time and returned to the frame screen saying that we had four shots left. That would look like a nightmare, I swear.

"That'll be a good one!" He was really getting a kick out of this thing. Axel jumped right into picking another frame: an animal one with two cartoon puppies on both right and left sides of the shot. "Ready?"

"Not really...!" I laughed a little when he wrapped his arm around my shoulders. When it flashed, I had one eye closed. "Hey! Not fair! I wasn't ready!" I complained, pushing him away playfully.

He chuckled and let me push him while he chose another frame. "Doesn't matter!" He exclaimed and, in half a second, forced his lips on my cheek. I stared at the camera blankly, stiff as a board, and let the camera flash in my face. It was a Christmas one with a single mistletoe at the top center of the picture. I started rubbing my eyes to shake off the polka dots blinking wildly in front of me.

"Ok, ok! Wah?!" I spazzed when I saw another white flash. I couldn't help but laugh 'til my sight got blurry with tears. "Will...will you stop?"

Axel was laughing just as hard and I thought he passed out when he leaned back into his seat. He rubbed in between his eyes and said, "Oh, shit...!"

No matter how much I kept telling myself that it wasn't funny, it really was. I was laughing so hard that I even started slapping the wall of the booth. I wondered if those girls were running away by now but it didn't really matter. Who'd want to see pictures of two drunken teens? Truthfully, I was pretty excited to see that last picture we took. I already pictured myself rubbing my eyes like I was crying and Axel staring out into space. For all I knew he could've been facing backwards.

When it hurt to laugh anymore, I started slowing down and ended up just staring teary eyed at Axel. He was all balled up in the corner with his eyes closed while biting his lower lip. Every laugh from him is different but each one is insanely funny. I almost burst out laughing again but my chest hurt so much that I ended up smiling instead. Whoa...that was sort of...weird. I actually _smiled_. Like I _wanted_ to.

Sort of embarrassed, I placed two fingers on my neck and felt for my temperature. Nope. I felt normal...pretty much. All that was different was this little sensitive spot on my left side but I just ignored it. I stared back at Axel again and shook some strands of hair away from my eyes.

"So, uh, we gonna take the last one?"

"Hm?" He asked, sitting back up in the seat.

"Those girls are waiting, right?"

Axel let out a light breath and looked at me, his eyes somewhat hazy. "Always playing the good guy, aren't you?"

I laughed and looked back at the screen. Funny. When we both laugh, it's like the world stopped spinning or we were the last people alive. "Well, aren't you gonna pick a frame?"

He smiled up at me and said, "You choose this time."

"Fair play?" I asked, placing my hand on the keyboard a bit hesitantly.

"Fair play."

It felt like it took me forever to get the right one. I went through all these cheesy frames with reindeer and birthday candles around them. It wasn't until I saw this simple one. It was sort of weird that I could even let that one frame catch my eye. It was so plain compared to the other ones. I looked over at Axel for a second then back at the screen before clicking once.

"You ready?" I asked, leaning back into the chair.

"Oh, before it starts," Axel started, turning his body halfway to face me, "just thought I'd let you know something."

I waited and let him go on.

"You know our project?" He reached forward and started the timer from 5 seconds again. 5...

"Uh...huh." 4...

"I lied about our topic," 3... "We didn't really get Same Gender Sex. We really got lab reproduction. There, feel better, Roxy?" 2...

"WHAAAT?!" 1..._flash_.

"Oh, man! I'm keeping that one right there!"

xxXXxx

"Here you go, girls. As promised."

"Heeheehee! You really meant it?"

"Man of my word. Oh, but, don't look at it 'til we get out of here, got it?"

"Heheh, promise."

By the time Axel and I left that booth, the light outside was fading away; just like myself. That was it. He's insane. I'm damned. Damned. I felt like such an idiot. A used little voodoo doll under the spotlight. Uselessly, I stared at the ground, my eyes fixated to the five sheets of photos I held in my hand. Sure, I heard Axel and the girls talking. I didn't look though. So, by the time we started walking away, really far away, I didn't get to see the looks on the girls' faces when they saw that second, 1x1 picture we both took...

It's amazing that something so simple as a kiss on the cheek sends people into something like a slow dance floor. Everything stopped. Something told me that was gonna be the last time the world heard a word from those girls.

All Axel could do was laugh.

About five minutes into it, I did the same. Out of random, we started to run for it, not really caring about the gathering crowds busting in and out of the shops. I was pretty amazed they were all still splurging their butts off. It was almost 6:30!

"I still don't get why you gave 'em _that_ picture!" I yelled to my right, panting.

"I told you!" He started, "just tryin' to have some fun!"

I smirked and tried picking up speed by the time I turned another corner. I wasn't sure where we were going or what we'd do once we got there. All that really mattered was that we would end up _somewhere_. That was good enough.

Axel noticed I started running faster and soon was a couple feet ahead of me. I sped up again and took over. He just came back. It pretty much stayed that way for the rest of the run.

"Where're we going?" I called over my shoulder in between breaths.

"Oh, so you'll let me take over and show ya?" It was like in one split second he became a demon child on two legs. No wonder he was mad good a basketball! All I really caught was this red flash before I was able to see that he was ahead of me again. _Way ahead of me_.

We got pretty far now. People started disappearing from the street. The street we were racing down was all lit up with white and yellow lights in every other window. Everywhere I turned my head I saw little puffs coming out of the chimneys. It wasn't so cold out right now, at least to me. Maybe that was because of all the running we were doing. To my right I saw one house with no lights on and came to a steadied stop just outside the gate.

"You...could've been...more...original...y'know?" I panted, placing my hands on my knees for balance.

Axel placed a hand on one bar of the gate and turned to the ground, gasping for air. In his other hand were the pictures we took together. I still had mine too. You'd think, after all that running, we would've lost 'em on the street for the people to step on them. They were too good to lose.

"Yeah, well...I never said...this was...over."

I raised an eyebrow and slightly stared up from the ground to the house in front of us; Axel's house. Over? What'd he mean by that? "Over?" I asked innocently.

"Uh-huh." He nodded and forced himself back up. He smiled at me and unlatched the gate. "Come on or you'll get run over by something!"

"Wait, what'd you...?"

"_Trust_ me."

Just when my breathing calmed down, it acted up again; skipping once before getting airy. Axel turned his back away from me and started walking up to the front door. Just looking at it I could picture back to yesterday. Just yesterday I was standing on that mat, taking what felt like years to ring that rusty old door bell. There was Roxas again: holding that gym bag and staring up like a pale fish at a guy eating ice cream in the doorway.

I stepped up onto the mat and waited for Axel to unlock the door. I sort of kicked at the doormat and watched Roxas walk unexpectedly into the house, not even thinking of what that night was going to bring. He looked stupid; small. Almost like if you even poked him he would break in half.

But by the time I was inside the dark house again, Roxas had brightened up just when he put that can of AXE back up on the shelf and darted out the door.

_Yeah! Coming!_

He looked back at the door. I looked back at him just before I closed it.

_So, 'someone I don't know', living nightmare?_

You never really know what to expect. Sometimes all you need is something a little out of the ordinary to change yourself.

"Nope. Just really lucky."

xxXXxx

"Hm...how's about right...here?" Axel asked me, pointing to the top right corner of the mirror closet.

I looked at it as if it were a painting and sighed. "All the rest of your pictures are in that corner. You saw what happened this morning to the others, right?" I hated the fact that I reminded myself of that incident. At least Axel didn't seem to care. He shrugged it off and started flipping through our picture sheets again. He wouldn't stop doing it ever since we got into the house.

"Ok, what about..." He looked away from the pictures and turned around to face the foot of his bed. The sheets were a little ruffled up still and I wasn't all too sure that he even bothered to change them this morning. The thought of last night's 'finishing move' made me flame up something bad. "Right there!"

"Hn?" I looked up and followed to where Axel was pointing just above the headboard. "It's your room."

"It's _our_ pictures," He said excitedly and jumped up onto the bed to post them up. "This one gets the center spot, 'kay?" He put some tape on the back of our last picture and stuck it up straight in the dead center of the wall. I was expecting that picture to be a little more mature for the frame I picked out. But, right after what Axel told me about the project, I couldn't help but leave my mouth hanging open and stare at him.

He was just smiling widely at the camera in the photo as if he just lit something on fire or tripped a girl on purpose. In blue bubble letters at the bottom of the picture was: "Best Friends". At the time it sounded cool but now, now it sounded 'eh'.

Next, he took the fourth picture and placed it on the left. Like I imagined, I had my eyes covered behind my hands and Axel's face was only half showing. He probably blinked 'cause he looked like he just passed out...well, at least half of him did.

The third picture got the spot on the right. That was the one where he had his arm around me and I had one eye closed. My face was all scrunched up like I was being handled like a baby and Axel, he just stared at the camera conceitedly with one finger pressed to the side of his head. _"The boy is mine and don't you forget it" _That's what it said to me.

When I saw him taping up the second one I couldn't help but laugh. I just reminded myself of those girls we gave that picture to. Axel made two copies of that one for himself: one for the girls and one for him.

The first picture was definitely one of the cutest. Even though I had this idiotic peace sign sticking out with a dorky smile, I liked it; mostly because Axel had been squeezing me.

"Well," He said, admiring his work, "last night here."

I smiled and put my copies of the photos on the edge of the bed. "Yeah, well, it's not like we'll never see each other again."

"I know that," He replied, falling backwards into the bed with his hands behind his head. "But it went too fast." He turned his head to look at me and I looked down at him.

"We can always try another day, too. This isn't the only weekend." My voice was collected. I was trying to steer away from showing that I was really sleepy. But I knew I wouldn't sleep all that great. Why? 'Cause according to Axel, this wasn't over. I really was looking forward to it.

"So, you ready?"

"Ready? For what?" I asked, confused. My heart started racing all of a sudden.

Axel got up from the bed and walked over to his window. He leaned over the drawing table and pulled up the blinds before unlocking the glass and pulling the window wide open. It sent some warm air inside the room but I shivered.

"I don't get to do this very often when the old man's here so I might as well make use of the time I've got." He stepped up onto the table and placed one foot out the window. At first I thought he would fall but then I remembered a small balcony that night I saw his posse throwing pebbles at his window. Slowly, I followed after him.

"You sure this is ok?" I asked, letting him help me up.

"Didn't I tell you to trust me? Just wait. You'll see." Once he got out onto the balcony, he pulled me outside into the darkness. The metal on the balcony was still wet with some rain and so was the fire escape ladder that had been turned up toward the roof instead of the ground. He began climbing the ladder and I followed him. I made sure not to look up though.

_Ass, ass, ass..._

xxXXxx

And I thought being on top of the station tower was the best view. I never really got to experience seeing Twilight Town at night. Just looking over it you could sense that you were somewhere safe. That nothing could happen because all these lights were on. You knew people were there when you saw those lights halfway across the town. I guessed that there were some late travelers since the trains were still running on the track. I shivered slightly when one of them passed by from overhead which sent this huge gust of wind past my face.

Axel and I were seated at the front of his house, just staring out at the town while the purples started fading into black. I noticed the station tower and sort of waved at it. I just had this feeling that Hayner, Pence and Olette were sitting there right now...I wished I could've been two places at once...

Sleepily, I half yawned and leaned back with my hands supporting my weight. "You know," I began, "maybe when summer rolls around, you should try hanging out at the tower."

He looked over at me. I barely saw his face but, with some light from the streets below I could make out his eyes. He looked _pretty_ under lights, I had to admit. I suddenly felt like I could curl into a ball and find some way to get warm. Just by looking at him...that's what I felt.

"Summer...with you and your other friends, right?"

"Well, it's been sort of tradition for all four of us to hang out up there during the summer. Most people head over to the beach but..."

"I heard you almost fell off."

I chuckled and looked out at that tower just when the moon started coming up. Another breeze went past my face. "Almost. I thought I was gonna die."

"Heh, so what'd you do?" Axel stood up when he spoke. "Thought you could fly?"

"Hey! Don't get up so fast!" I twitched when he swayed a bit but relaxed a bit when I realized it was just the wind. "No, I did not think I could fly..." I mumbled. "I just...got my foot caught...that's all."

"Ah, I see." There was a short pause after that and all I heard were the wind and the trains moving along the tracks. I kept staring up at Axel with my eyes half closed. I was afraid I might've fallen asleep. If you saw him you'd think he was thinking of something real closely. I knew he was smart and had dreams. He just didn't like showing it.

"See those trains over there?" He brought up.

I carefully stood up to look all the way across the town some more. Yup, they were still moving. "Yeah?"

"One of these days, we should take one of 'em and start somewhere new." When I heard a little tinkle, I turned my head and caught sight of him pulling this silver chain out of his pocket. He shook it around a bit before pulling it up to eye leaving in between both of us.

In the middle of the thin chain was a white gold ring with three tiny diamonds embedded around it. I stared crossed eyed at it before asking, "What's that?"

"Here," He unhooked it and re-hooked it around my neck. He fixed it so the ring was in front for me to see. "You keep it...'cause when we're old enough for bigger changes," Easily, Axel reached down his jacket and pulled out an identical band that he already had around his neck. "I wanna see what'll happen."

Before I even let him talk again I already, literally, flung myself on him. I didn't know what he meant. I didn't even know what it was he gave me. The only thing on my mind were trains and this slow version of 'Let it Snow' playing off down the road. I really did feel like a baby.

"You're a hopeless flirt, you know?" I muttered into his jacket. I had my eyes open and my hands were wrapped around his back; one behind the neck. He had his around my waist. I hated how short I was sometimes.

"Pretty much..." I felt him nuzzle the side of my neck and I chuckled.

Then, out of no where, I choked. I held my breath and hid my face deeper. I tightened my grip on his back and pulled his head closer to me. I always said that I needed, no, wanted something to hold onto.

"Why're you hugging me tight like that?" He asked.

I swallowed and forced a smile into him. "Because, you might fall."

"But if I fall then you will too."

I couldn't help it. I uncovered my face and rested it on his shoulder, just staring at the glowing houses behind us. "Exactly...I don't want you to go alone."

For once, I think I had the last word to say. For what felt like hours, we just stood up there on the roof, hugging out of all things. I didn't care who was watching. I didn't care who could've been yelling at us. We'll be here. Nothing was going to stop that...

"_Put your hands behind your head, now! Do it now!"_

"_You have the right to remain silent."_

"_Get down, now!"_

Axel was the first to pull away. I moved back but still kept one hand at his back. We both turned, slightly stunned at the sudden voices and red, white and blue lights shining from...below?

"What's going on?" I asked breathlessly.

"_Is that all that's on you?"_

"_Yes, sir. I swear it is."_

"Wait a second..." Axel peered over the rooftop to look at the street below. I followed, still holding him, and scanned around but all I saw were two motorcycles and two cops...that's when I saw him. A teen that looked so familiar to me...light, long hair...Marluxia.

"What did you do? What did you do?" Axel whispered beside me. "Busted..."

* * *

**well, that was chapter twenty two! X3 **

again with the hanging off the cliff...what am i saying! ugh, i hate myself right now. really, i was trying to write like i used to: simple and quick to the point because i really didn't want to be the cause of readers dying at their computers!

**DX sorry for all the marly fans out there. mr. flower pot is...stuck in a pot? wow, i must be so dilerious right now. wheehee! XDDD**

**anyway, at least 10 mow weviews pwease! hooray! sex ed has hit the 550 mark! -throws confetti and dances- thank you so much! -bows- X3 mew! nyu nyu! -slaps self- ...it's cold...-dies-**

**_did you die today? XDDD  
kokoro77_**


	23. Chapter Twenty Three: Secrets

**Author's note: it's been a pretty hectic week for me. i didn't have school thrusday and friday because of snow and ice and i don't have school tomorrow because of MLK so that's why i took the time to have a writer's corner tonight! -cuddles doggy printed pillows- wah! we spent all of yesterday and today shopping for my winter ball coming up on saturday night! hooray for dancing in high heels!! dot dot dot on second thought, never mind. DX**

**ah well, things change when people grow up, neh?**

**ANYWAY! back to sex! -cough- i mean...ed...sex-ed. heh. right! thank you guys for commenting and reading! I LOVE YOU!!! wait...i should save that for valentine's day. XD**

**yay! xigbar's a cop! -bad boy, whatcha want, whatcha gonna do? when sherriff xiggy come for you? bad boy, bad boy, whatcha gonna do...whatcha gonna do when they come for you?- -dies of corniness-**

* * *

Chapter Twenty Three: Secrets

That scared me right there. Just the way Axel said it: _"Busted..."_ What exactly did Marluxia do? I looked back down over the roof and noticed that the officers were picking him up off the ground, cuffed by the wrists. It wasn't really until now that I noticed that he had a gray sweatshirt on with the hood pulled over his face. I could still tell it was Marluxia...it _was_ him, right?

Nervously, I looked over to Axel who had already looked away from the scene. He had his face turned the other way so I couldn't see it. "Axel?" I asked, "Was that...I mean, what're they in trouble for?"

He paused, thinking of what to say, and then turned his face to me. "How would I know? I don't know 'em."

I lowered my hand from his back and sat crossed legged. "Are you sure? I heard you..."

"That's just how I always react to people that get stopped by the po-po. They're all busted people, aren't they?" He really was good at acting. But, still, I could tell that he was lying and I was going to force something out of him whether he liked it or not.

"Don't lie to me, ok?" I fumed. "The pink hair, the voice, the height...you've known the guy since, I don't know, forever?"

Axel raised an eyebrow at me but before he replied I cut him off.

"Marluxia, ok?! That's him! Right there! He got bagged by the police and you're telling me that..."

"Shh, shh, keep it down..." Briskly, he put his hand over my mouth and shook his head. "The whole neighborhood's gonna hear you."

I started struggling at that point, shaking my head side to side and trying to pry his arm away. "Mm!" Suddenly, there was a quick slam of a car door and the glow from the lights we saw earlier began fading away. Axel's grip loosened and I stole the chance to watch a police car drive off down the street; leaving the other two motorbikes and cops to patrol the street again.

Someone must've taken him.

I thrust a finger at the place where the scene had taken place and stared at Axel square in the eye. "Look! Were you even looking? That was him!"

"He had a hoodie on. How could you tell?" Casually, he rubbed the back of his head and stared down at the floor innocently. I still wasn't buying it and shook my head to the ground. I was way too tired to go through this, this late at night. I left my hands at rest in my lap and began staring at the tiles on the roof; my eyes burning. That's how tired I was.

"I don't know...ok? I really don't...know..." I yawned after that and little tears dotted my eyes. What time was it anyway? Just then, the clock tower in the distance starting chiming deeply. That's when I knew it. I knew it was midnight already.

"Hey, getting tired?" Axel's voice sounded almost as soothing as mom's when she used to read me to bed at night. Boy, I really started missing her. Once, and groggily, I nodded.

"Sorry..." I managed to say and rubbed my eyes before trying to bring him into clear view. I still had to catch up on my sleeping...at least a couple weeks worth of catching up. I felt something being pressed on my shoulder and I looked up, my eyes attempting to stay open. "Huh?" I asked stupidly.

It was Axel's hand that I felt. He shook me roughly and I groaned like a little kid. "Let's go. Don't sleep yet. Wait 'til we get inside, got it?" When I didn't respond, he shook me again. "Got it?"

"Ok! Gosh..." I muttered and let him help me up. I wobbled slightly but, thankfully, he caught me and let me put some of my weight on him. I kept hearing the echoing of the bells behind me along with the little tinkling from the necklace around both our necks. Thinking about those rings is what mostly kept me awake...well, half awake.

I barely remember how I was able to go down the ladder without falling, pull myself through the window and stand back inside Axel's room. There were so many thoughts screwing up my head. I just had to sleep it all off somehow.

xxXXxx

"I still can't believe you were walking around all day wearing _that_," Axel said when he closed the window again.

But all I could think about was the bed. It was literally five steps away. I was five steps away from at least seven hours in fluffy, pillowy heaven! I just wanted to collapse on that mattress. If I could, I would run off with that thing, it felt _that_ good to sleep in...even with a naked person sleeping on you...

"Yeah, well...mmm..." I groaned again and put a hand on my head. The lights were starting to give me a makeshift hangover. "Ah..."

Axel laughed behind me and walked up to the bedroom door. He flipped the lights off and, at once, I calmed down...shit. If I calmed down then that meant I would get even sleepier. What a night.

"That feel better?" He asked.

I didn't respond and sat myself on the wooden edge of the bed, ready to fall back into it and pass out.

"Wait, wait, wait, I still didn't tell you this was over, did I?"

I looked up with my eyes closed. I randomly guessed where he was in the room just by hearing his voice. "Can't you save it for some other," I yawned again, "...time?"

"Aw, poor kid..." I heard his voice from right above me and I opened my eyes. Since he closed the blinds, I could barely see; the moonlight wasn't helping so much. He placed a hand atop my head and started stroking me like I was a cat.

"Mhm...stop it..." I whined and loosely clung onto his arm. He went on doing it anyway, softly and sweetly, the exact opposite of what he normally did to tick me off. Maybe that's not what he wants to do...

"Can you get up at all?" His voice was pretty silky. I got even sleepier just listening to it. It was like listening to jazz or almost like he doesn't have a problem in the world.

I sighed a light puff and tried it, amazingly able to do it. "A bit..." But when I stood up, I almost tripped when I realized that Axel was standing extremely close to me. Without thinking, I rested my head against his chest and shut my eyes. You can get real delirious late at night. "I'm tired..." I half complained.

"Come on, Roxas...last night here," I twitched. I felt a light tickle on my stomach and, randomly, I felt a sudden jolt run my spine. It must've been the coffee coming back? "Last sleep here...get it?" I guess he had his head pressed to mine. I wished he wasn't swaying us together. Back and forth, back and forth...we had our hips pressed together too. Being as sleepy as I was, I copied him, just keeping my eyes smaller than half way closed. I told you, you can get delirious. "How 'bout _sort of_?" He whispered into my ear.

"You can't _sort of_ do things in a bed, Axel..." I whispered back, dizzily. I just had this feeling that this was leading to a bed.

"Exactly..." He started up touching my exposed stomach again. I couldn't laugh even though it tickled so much. I just pinched his arm a bit to make him stop.

"Mm-mm...no," I demanded.

"Roxas..."

"No...!" I hissed but I got light headed when I did that so I stopped myself abruptly. Then, completely out of thin air, I tried showing 'refusal' by kissing him. Actually, he was the one that started it. He had his face too close to me so I had no choice. It didn't go any further than lips to lips and it stayed that way for a very long time. I guess neither one of us was sure what to do. Should I go first? Should he? Should I...I wonder if Marluxia was even the one...ow, I can feel his ring against my chest...

I really did feel that ring pressing into me. In fact, that was the last thing I felt. My body ultimately gave up on me and I nearly collapsed onto Axel's shoulder. I kept my eyes shut and my lips parted. I heard him laugh, half disappointedly.

"Ok, you win." Next thing I knew, I was laying down on the bed. He probably put me there and lay down next to me. I was seconds away from sleep when he said, "You know what this it, right?" I felt the necklace being lifted away from my neck. It felt weird being without it.

"Yeah..." I replied. That was a lie.

"Think of it sort of as a...proposal; about five years early, ok?"

"Proposal, huh?" I turned on my side and wrapped my arms around what I thought was his neck. I pulled him closer to me and started nuzzling his face. I couldn't wait until I could get some sleep...this wasn't working for me.

"Oh, and, don't worry about that project..."

But by then I already fell asleep.

xxXXxx

_You're the only one I ever believed in, the answer that could never be found, the moment you decided to let love in..._

_You're the only one..._

"_Mh...h-hello?"_

I turned on my pillow, away from where I started hearing Axel's voice. It felt like I had only been asleep for a couple of minutes and my eyes began burning.

"_Huh? I-I can't hear you. Speak up a bit, what?"_

The bed swayed to the side and I figured it was because Axel moved. It suddenly got really cold so I pulled the sheets tighter around my body and brought my legs closer to my chest. Even though he was whispering, he still sounded louder than ever.

"_Bail? Oh...ok, ok, I'll see what I can do...yeah. Sit tight, 'kay? Ok, bye."_

My arm started shaking lightly but I tried my best to shrug it off. I pretty much figured I was already awake by now. That's what happens when you open your eyes and keep them open longer than five seconds after sleeping. You stay awake and never get back to sleep. Still, I took a shot at faking it and pulled the covers over my head.

"Hey, Roxas...come on. Get up. Roxas..." He whispered, still prodding my shoulder.

"It's still early, Axel," I moaned into the mattress. My head just told me it was really early.

"This is serious. M..." Things got tense when he paused. I almost thought he had choked himself or he suddenly stopped breathing. Panicky, I pushed the blanket away, took a deep breath, and glanced a little bit over my shoulder. The whole room was pitch black except for a faint blue glow traveling on the ceiling. I guessed it really was morning after all.

"What?" I asked.

"M..." He looked up at the ceiling, his eyes wandering aimlessly before looking back at me to say, "Marluxia. Marluxia's been in the town's jail overnight and he needs a bail."

Immediately I sat upright and stared at him, my eyes feeling cloudy. When I moved my feet I saw that my shoes weren't on. Axel must've taken them off before putting me into bed. Seeing that I was up, he got up from bed and sprinted over to the bedroom door. I knew what was coming and, as usual, I wasn't prepared for it.

A bright orange spiked into my eyes and I shut them instantly. Rubbing them, I asked, "Is he ok? What's he put in jail for?"

"Dunno yet. I do know one thing..." When I reopened my eyes, he had half of his uniform on already; the half he was without was the shirt but I looked away. I just felt he needed privacy. "You were right that it was him."

"You knew it too!" I argued and got up, remembering that we also had school in about...three hours. When I found out that it was 5:00 AM, I wanted to do nothing but sandwich myself into the sheets and hibernate. Still, I also had to keep in mind that Marluxia was locked up in some greasy old cell. I wondered if he was ok...what if some inmate decided it was ok to fight him? Or what if he already was getting picked on 'cause he wasn't part of a jail gang yet? Just thinking about it seemed to speed up me rushing through the bathroom and going back into Axel's room to change into my black uniform.

"Got everything?" He asked me when I zipped up my duffel bag. I nodded and got up off the floor before following him into the living room. I didn't mention that I still had on that ring he gave to me last night. I didn't remove it before I went to sleep either. I just kept it hidden under my shirt so no one would see it. It was that important to me...and I didn't even know what it was for. Proposal? I was so confused.

It was so dead cold in the living room that I almost thought the couch had frozen. We didn't even get the time to lock the front door; he was in such a hurry. I could tell he was a loyal friend. Or maybe he wanted to leave before his dad and Riku got back home.

I shut the gate behind me and looked down the street where I had seen those two motor-cops leave after sending Marluxia off in a cruiser. I didn't even get much time to look back at Axel's house. Something was just telling me that I wouldn't see it again...either that or for a very long time.

Hurriedly, I paced behind Axel and I wasn't even sure if my whole body was awake yet. I had to keep up. If Arson _was_ coming soon, I didn't want to be in the way when he got there.

xxXXxx

_TWILIGHT TOWN PENITENTIARY-all guests must check in at front desk_

I didn't expect the town's jail to be so rugged. Just by looking at the huge letters on the sign of the jail gave me a shaky feeling. It was bad enough seeing patrol officers standing so still and erect with long machine guns ready and waiting in their hands. I pictured an escaping prisoner running at us and the patrol officers being able to shoot him down by moving only two muscles. Then they'd just stand straight again like statues, leaving the other officers to pull the prisoner away.

That right there screamed: _don't do anything stupid_.

I swallowed hard and it hurt like hell. My tongue felt swollen from that time I burnt it yesterday on the coffee. I probably just worsened it when I started kissing Axel, too. The ground below us started shaking and I was forced to look up from the cement pathway we were standing in the middle of.

"Easy, Roxas. You're gonna give yourself a heart attack," Axel said, holding the door open.

That was some tight-locked door. So tight that it made the ground shake when the locks were undone. Hesitantly, I inched my way into through the main entrance and counted my steps. 1...2...3...4...

"_Somethin' I can help you boys with?"_

When I heard some guy's voice, I stopped counting and turned to my left. There was an officer standing about an inch taller than Axel, which was amazing, with his jet black, silver streaked hair tied off in the back with a low pony tail. Covering his right eye was a black eye patch. I guessed he must've gotten it from his job. After all, he _was_ a cop.

Axel was the first to speak up. He always is. "Yes, sir. I got a call from my friend this morning about a bail..."

Sir? I looked at the officer's name badge. 'Xigbar' was what was printed on the gold badge in black print. I hated it when Axel tried to be so polite. It never suited him. I looked to Xigbar's left side and spotted a gun holder with the handle of a normal hand gun poking out. Then again, being polite wasn't all so bad...

He placed a hand on his chin and looked up toward the ceiling in thought. "Hm, we talkin' 'bout the pink haired kid that got busted just last night?" He sounded like a beach surfer when he talked.

"Yes. That's him," Axel answered.

Xigbar smiled and eyed both of us down. "Xigbar," He stated, shaking Axel's hand before turning to shake mine. I swear he almost cracked my fingers off when he did it. "I'm the head chief of the police force we got goin' on here in this town. Lemme tell ya somethin'. We got cases like your friend's comin' at us all the time but this one surprised all of us a bit."

"How so?" I asked, worriedly.

"Turns out this kid's been spotted doing other crimes too. But, we'll get t' all that later. We're gonna see if we can getta hold of his parents so they can agree to signing some documents. Since you two're here, might as well give 'im a visit." He turned to a white door to the left of the room and motioned for us to follow him.

I let Axel go ahead of me and simply watched the officer punch in a few numbers before pulling the door open. The hinges squeaked so loudly that the recipient at the front desk almost jumped out of her chair.

"Get's her every time," Xigbar chuckled and shut the door once we were all inside this wide, plain white tiled, white walled hallway. Even the lighting was white and it occasionally flickered from time to time. I felt like a prisoner myself. I wondered if this was what they did: count the seconds they had walking down hallways, wondering if the next turn they take will be their cell, and if one day the walls would just collapse on them while they walked. I was feeling pretty claustrophobic.

Before long we were standing in front of another secured door. Except this time, this one led to a narrower and shorter hallway. We ended up being led through another door before we finally ended up in a high ceiling hallway that went left and right. The wall in front of us was entirely made of thick glass and beyond that glass was a cement 'yard' with school yard tables and two levels of rusted, graffiti painted doors.

Axel and I stopped and for once I felt like clinging onto his shoulder. Xigbar thrust his thumb towards the direction of the yard.

"Those'r the prisoner cells. That's where we keep the real bad guys. The one's that kill and the ones to be killed. Your buddy's on the top floor but he should be comin' down to talk with you guys."

"Wait, you're saying...you're saying he killed somebody?" I asked, petrified. Axel placed a hand on my back, I guess Xigbar didn't see, and started massaging it.

He shook his head. "Nah. You honestly think a pink haired kid would murder? Report says he had a flower in his hair when they found him. I don't think so." He took a right and we followed him to this wide room filled with caged off areas that were each about as big as Axel's room. Xigbar took us into the first one on the left and sat us down at a plastic grey table before stepping back out.

"I'll tell the boys to bring him down. You guys sit tight and don't worry all too much." He looked right at me when he said the last part of his sentence then shut the cage. We both watched him walk away down the hall in silence. Right when he disappeared around the corner, Axel broke the silence.

"Sorry I lied, okay?"

"Huh?"

"About this whole thing. Yeah, I knew it was Marluxia that those cops got last night...but I'm telling the truth that I have no idea why he's even here," He paused with a laugh then said, "Reason I didn't say anything about it was because I just wanted to...well...y'know."

"Yeah, I know," I said quickly and fumbled around with the top buttons on my uniform. Fidgety...you're being fidgety...why shouldn't I be? Some old, surfer-pirate-cop just put us in a cage! "He mentioned other crimes," I said quietly.

Axel just 'hm'ed me and leaned back into his chair. Oh, he knew something about those crimes. But before I got the chance to slap some sense into him, there was a sharp sound of rustling chains scraping against the floor ahead of us. I looked toward the sound and Axel kept back into his seat. I still knew he was looking. I was started to get annoyed with my habit of counting things and I almost slapped myself when I mindlessly started counting the number of scratches those chains made against the floor.

It felt like forever but eventually Xigbar came back, this time with some teenager with a grey hooded sweater with the hood pulled over his face. When they both got closer, I recognized the pink hair underneath the hood.

Axel and I both sat quietly when Xigbar re-unlocked the caged door and sat the prisoner down in a single chair in front of us. He looked at Axel first to talk.

"It's rules that I stand guard outside of this cage t' keep an eye on 'im," He said gruffly, firmly gripping the guy's shoulder before leaving to stand outside right in front of the exit door. "I'll give ya twenty minutes, hear me?"

"Yes, sir," Axel and I chimed and we both were just as equally stunned staring at this wasted looking guy. I barely believed that this was Marluxia, the guy I saw chewing gum in the hallway and the same guy that nearly threw a garbage can at Demyx's head that one night. But, here he was: head facing the table, hands cuffed together with metal chains as were his ankles. Maybe I was wrong: he could've been already accepted into a prison gang.

"Marly," Axel said, leaning forward into the table, "why're you down here?"

I heard Marluxia sigh heavily and he took some effort to shake the gray hood away from his face. Man, he looked beat. His eyes were baggy and his hair was sticking out from the back. "Why?" He asked, indistinctly. "I was going over to your place last night. I told my parents I was just going out for a walk...I didn't tell 'em that I was walking around into alleyways...meeting up with guys I've never met and paying them for something I shouldn't have met."

I don't even think I blinked when he talked to us. He sounded like he came straight out of a mafia movie. I looked over to Xigbar but he didn't look like he was paying attention. He just stood there with his back pressed against the door. I kept my eye on his gun from time to time.

He continued. "I couldn't wait 'til I left your place to get high. So," He bit his bottom lip until it turned bright pink and said, "I took some on the way there. The cops saw I was doing it and before I knew it, bam, I'm on the ground and I barely remember them picking this flower out of my hair. I didn't even know I put one in."

"What were you taking?" Axel asked, rather calmly.

"Coke...it's been since the beginning of summer since I've done it..." He kept blinking slowly like he was trying to stay awake.

"Hey, listen, I heard that you were accused of other crimes, too," I whispered, hoping that Xigbar wouldn't hear me. I leaned closer.

Marluxia nodded, not all too proud of himself. "Vandalism, using on a school campus, arson..."

Axel lightly slapped the table which, even thought it was light, made me jump. "They shouldn't be blaming just you. WE were all part of those!"

Marluxia tiredly looked Axel square in the eye. "I wasn't about to rat you guys out, alright? Let 'em cell me. They've got proof I did it. They got DNA from that pipe, they got finger prints from the gas tank, they got witnesses spot me running from that one time we sprayed things on the school building. You guys? Nothing. And I'm gonna keep it that way."

"Look, you can't take all the blame! They know there were more people with you! Remember the papers? It was all there! I'm not about to let you spend over 20 years rotting in jail!" Axel's voice was rising with every word he said. I stared at both of them, choking on words that wouldn't come out. So...they really were that gang...the one that Sora told me about just before school started...this was really them...

"Shh, he'll hear you," Marluxia warned but, still, Xigbar was frozen in place. "Look, the judge is giving me a 20,000 dollar bail. If that gets paid off, I'll be let go but I'll still need to come back for trials. Then, I've gotta get myself into some rehab. It's the only way to keep me in school now."

"20,000 dollars?" Axel choked.

"Yeah. They've already told my parents about it. I dunno, guys. This addiction's gotten me to do some crazy things..." He paused and sat back into his chair. He constantly kept staring around the room then back at the both of us. I had a feeling he was getting claustrophobic himself. "Roxas," He suddenly spoke up.

I looked at him nervously. "Y-yeah?"

"I'm sorry...you might not forgive me but...I'm sorry."

"For what?" I asked skeptically.

"It's about...Olette."

"Olette? Why?" My stomach gave a sharp turn. Olette, Olette...

"I tried getting myself to quit cocaine and I went without it for a week. When I started losing my head, I knew I had to get some. The only guy that had it available said I had to do something in return since it took him a long time to pick up that coke...I...he..." He drew in a deep breath then said, "Once I took advantage of her, he promised me some."

20 minutes went by faster than I thought it would but once it was all over, I felt like I had been listening to Marluxia for hours. That couldn't have been Marluxia. I swear it wasn't.

xxXXxx

When Axel and I left the prison, we were quiet the whole way to school. In fact, even when we were inside the school we were still quiet. I felt like I could disappear all of a sudden and I almost thought that Axel felt it too. I waited by his locker, solemn and pale, when he took his books out of it and stuffed them into his messenger bag. We still had a couple minutes before class but we went into the History classroom anyway, sitting in desks next to each other without even realizing it.

About ten minutes later, our classmates started coming into the room one by one then two by two. Hayner and Pence came in and said good morning to me but all I could do was smile back.

"You ok?" Hayner asked.

I just nodded.

"You look sick. Are you sure you're ok?" Pence said.

I just nodded.

After that, they sat in the front of the room. I suddenly felt like they were too far from me. I barely heard the talking and I barely noticed the faces of the people. Even when Mrs. Lockhart came in, took role, and scribbled on the black board, I didn't look at her, I only said 'here', and I took some lousy notes that weren't even really in order.

There was a desk in the center of the classroom that was empty. It was right behind Zexion who, also, looked pretty much dead. Demyx was yawning non-stop in the very front of the classroom. That desk...I had a feeling that it would be empty for years.

xxXXxx

I stared down at the paper sitting on the coffee table. It was covered in eraser shavings and gray blotches. All that was written on it was: _Lab Reproduction Research Explanation Essay: Roxas_

I pressed my head on the table with a groan. What was I supposed to write? Axel did all the work already! He did the research, he did the poster, he even took the time to cut out pictures of tube babies and glue them onto some poster board. All I did was sleep. Now I _really_ regretted partnering up with him.

It was good to be home at least. Mom wasn't standing in the front door ready to yell at me for not packing toilet paper. She just greeted me with the usual 'I missed you so much! How was school?', took my bag and went on fixing things upstairs.

I stared at the paper again and my eyes got blurry. Too many things were going on in my life. I wanted to call Olette so badly. I wanted to spend all my munny on sea salt ice cream and lounge out at the station tower with my friends. I just wanted to catch that late night train, be the only one on it and spend the rest of my night riding it, not really caring where it would take me. My chest started feeling sore an empty.

"_Are you crying?"_

Hastily, I peeled my face off of the table and locked eyes with Sora. Wait, did he just _talk to me_? I blinked and when I did, I felt something cold slip down my cheek. Why am I crying? I rubbed my eyes hard and looked away from him.

"No," I said sternly.

"Sure looked like it." Sora walked around the TV then paused a while before sitting at my right on the floor. His voice still sounded insecure.

"I wasn't...why're you talking to me anyway?" I said roughly without looking at him. I picked up my pencil and placed the tip on the paper, acting like I had a whole bunch to write. Obviously I wasn't good at it and Sora knew it.

"Because you're my brother. I've got no choice. Besides, it's no fun talking in my head all day." He punched my shoulder and I shrugged him off.

"I really don't get you."

"You don't get a lot of people! You know, Roxas," Sora said, starting to get chipper-y, "You'd be surprised to find out that a lot of people don't get _you_." When he poked my shoulder, I slammed the pencil atop the paper and stared at him.

"I'm doing homework! Can't we talk about this later?"

"No, no, hey, I'm sorry, ok?"

Sorry. Pft, yeah. Everyone in the world is sorry. I'm not even sure if everyone who says it means it. I felt the cold touch of the necklace underneath my shirt and I shivered. Axel?

"Sorry?" I said, easing down.

"Yeah...look, I wasn't mad at you. I was just...mad at myself, I guess."

"And Riku?"

He scoffed and ruffled up his hair, sort of unsure of what to say. When he did say something, he was so quiet I had to nearly stop breathing to be able to catch a word. "Yeah. I was sort of mad at Riku too. 'Cause...if you tell anyone, I'll..."

"Just tell me."

"Fine...look, some kids were playing a game of spin the bottle in one corner of the party room. No one went there except for us and a few other guys and girls. So, when it's like that, regardless of who it lands on, you've gotta...kiss 'em."

When I didn't say anything, he went on.

"So Riku and I figured we'd give it a shot. When it was my turn to spin, I was thinking it was gonna land on Kairi. She looked pretty excited every time it passed her...but, thing is, it didn't land on her. It chose Riku which, let me tell you, wasn't all exciting to anyone except for the teens that didn't know us."

I stopped myself from laughing. But it was just too hard to picture the two of those guys playing spin the bottle! I felt like somewhat of a hypocrite though. Hey, I played 7 minutes in heaven. Game night was full of secrets as it turned out.

"When Riku and I, you know, _kissed_," His faced scrunched up when he said it, "It was just plain but when it was over, I had to leave the game. Riku probably did but, every time we saw each other after that, we didn't talk. We literally broke away from the world for weeks. So, I'm just saying I'm sorry I took it out on you. I didn't mean it." Sora placed a hand on my shoulder and shook it.

I looked up at him and smiled. "It's ok." He started laughing at random after that. I laughed lightly along with him...it wasn't getting rid of my major headache. When I started getting light headed, I stopped laughing and just pretended to smile, letting the ring underneath my shirt swing back and forth. My eyesight got fuzzy again.

"Ahah...eh? Roxas? Hey, what's the matter?"

I really don't know why I was crying. It wasn't a 'boy thing' to do. Boy's never cry. That's what mom always told me. But if a guy's feeling bad, what's he supposed to do? He can't always kick a rock or yell at a wall or hide his face in his hands. Sometimes...we just forget. We forget that we're supposed to be strong. It happens. Shamefully, I lowered my head and started sobbing right in front of Sora. He didn't know why but, for some reason, he just said that I was going to be ok and stroked my head.

"It's gonna be ok...ok?"

That ring just went on touching my chest like an ice cube being slid down my back. Every time I felt that thing I thought of Axel. Axel, Axel, Axel. And each time I thought it, I cried harder and my chest hurt even worse than before. I missed home, yeah, I did. But, for some reason, getting bombarded with secrets made my home like unwanted territory.

I cried myself to sleep that night. But before I did sleep, I stared at the ring on the end of the necklace. When I held it up to the moonlight on the window, I noticed flakes of white blowing around outside. I didn't remove the ring that night again...even though it was the reason I was crying.

_Don't hurt me...stop hurting me...I'm sorry...I'm sorry I ever existed!_

Something bad was definitely happening. I just wish I knew what.

* * *

**-twitches- mft...so-much-angst. -dies of angst-**

**wow...tonight was really symbolic? hm, i fail to see _why_ i wanted to be angsty. i haven't been this angsty since that one chapter with the fluff in the hospital. XD haha, reminds me of cotton swabs! i should draw axel and roxas as cotton balls in a hospital! geez, aren't i uber corny? see? i just used uber?!**

**yes, as i said, mr. flowerpot is stuck in a pot now with pot...ish. XD sorry if time in the story seems to be going a bit fast! i'm trying to get through the angst and into the climax...BUM-BUM-BUM ****that might not be for a couple weeks. that's just how weird i am about updates. whee!**

**uhm, am i missing something? oh, those last words in italics at the end of the chapter: those are really important...i think. X.x; well, i'd better go! i'm gonna see what i can get done for my other story as well. please 10 more reviews please and thank you!**

**_-nobody nah give you no break, police nah give you no break, not even your idren nah give you know break, police man give you no break, bad boy, bad boy...get it? 'nobody'? xigbar? police? ah...forget it. XD-,  
kokoro77_**


	24. Chapter Twenty Four: Press Play

**Author's note: -shivers- my formal ball is tomorrow night...i sort of guess that was what prompted me to write this chapter about preparations for a dance! eh...i hope all goes well. XD my friends said that it's gonna be like- 'aww, look at the pretty girls in their...' (girls start dirty dancing) 'PRETTY...DRESSES...???'**

**haha! well, yes, once again i apologize to the people that feel that this story might be going fast! yarg! hehe...sad, the story has reached over 200 pages in Word. XD**

**well, here's chapter 24! XD notice again the dot dot dot in the name of the chapter?? oi, i need a life. DX

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Chapter Twenty Four: Press Play...

"_I...I'm sorry...I'm sorry...uhn. _What?!" With a sudden start, my eyes forced open almost as if someone told them to. I stared awkwardly up at my ceiling, taking long, thin breaths. I barely even realized that I had been clinging onto my bed sheets so tightly. My chest felt so cold...actually, my whole body felt that way.

"It's ok, Roxas. It's ok. You're ok. Right? You're ok." I felt like a madman as I talked to myself. I was even rubbing the top of my shoulders just to assure myself that I was even in a world at all. I moaned and shut my eyes again. They were stinging like needles and they burned like a match was being pressed in them. "It's not ok..."

I remembered I still had school today. Tuesday. I tried remembering my schedule but I came up blank. All I remembered, and knew for a fact, was that I had a basketball game and that I had Sex Education for a double period. For some reason they just _had_ to give us a double period. I couldn't believe it. Zexion was so lucky that he took only one Sex Ed session a week.

_I believe I know enough about the human reproductive system already. If you'd like, I could start you off by saying that it..._

I cut his voice off. He told me that a couple of weeks ago when I asked. I half way opened my eyes and rolled on my side to stare at my clock at the floor of my bed. It took me a while but I eventually found it. It read 6:00. What...the...hell...?

I still had about an hour before my alarm would go off! I rolled back on my other side and faced the window. That's when I felt my chest getting cold again. Frustrated, I shoved my hand down my shirt and pressed hard to see what was going on. Oh, right...that.

I suddenly felt like I could hit myself for forgetting. I slowly grabbed the ring and lifted it out until it was just sitting there in the palm of my hand. "Can't forget you..." I was actually _talking _to it. I thought back to what Axel told me about it. I still didn't get what it was for. Axel again...again, again.

"What did you _mean_? Proposal..." I took another second to stare at the ring under the faint sunrise pouring into my room before I closed my hand over it and squeezed. For some reason, I felt that I could get some answers just by squeezing it.

xxXXxx

"Roxas," Sora said as we both walked out the door that morning, "you feeling better?"

I looked up at him and smiled. Boy, I'm such a fake. "Yeah. Just needed sleep was all."

"If you say so." We went on walking to school. The streets were covered in at least two inches of snow and, if you breathed hard enough, you could see puffs in front of your face. Two inches. Two lousy inches. I wasn't kidding when I said it rarely snowed or rained here. When it snows, the weather acts up again and melts it all off. No school delays, no shops closing, no snow ball fights. Disappointedly, I kicked at the powder.

"How's Sex Ed going?"

I turned my head to Sora at my left. He wasn't giving me the perverted stare. Good...I think. "Ok, I guess. I'm supposed to present that thing with Axel today in front of the class...he..." I stopped and remembered that I wasn't supposed to say anything about _him_ doing all the work. "He didn't think it was all too bad."

"What'd I tell ya? Sex isn't bad! It's like...like...it's what makes our whole world active!" He said it cheerfully. Annoyingly cheerfully. I flushed.

"Shut up! People'll hear you!" I pulled my hands out of my pockets and started chasing him down the street, ready to grab him around the neck, being careful not to slip and fall on my face.

Sora laughed and briskly waved a hand at me. "Aw, come on, Roxas! Don't be shy!" He called over his shoulder. I ignored him and went on tracing his footsteps in the snow all the way to the school courtyard. The fountain water was frozen and the stairs that led to the front doors were slippery...of course I didn't know until I made a complete idiot out of myself by stumbling like a beginner ice skater on the first step. Sora looked back, panting, and pulled the door open.

"Love ya lots, man!" And he shot inside like a bullet, leaving me leaning against the stair railing.

"Hope you trip walking into class!" I yelled back, pulling myself up the stairs. Today wasn't my day...and the day had barely even started.

xxXXxx

The first two periods of the morning went by like they only lasted for five minutes each. I sat down in math, corrected homework, took in another 'one day, I'll kill you because I feel like it' glare from Saix, and walked out. I went across the hall to room 13 for science, sat down, said 'here', took notes, and watched Mrs. Strife hurry out.

That was about 10 minutes ago that she left. The room was buzzing with the latest news and partners that were presenting their projects today rehearsing their lines. I wasn't in that much of a mood to move so I glued my feet to the floor and rested my head on my desk. I didn't get why I had to be so depressed today. All I wanted to do was play some basketball. When I pushed my body against the desk, I felt a round metal on my skin again.

"Yeah, yeah, I know I should be standing up..." I whispered to the desk. "For your information, I'm not in the mood to talk about sex with him right now...I mean, not _sex_! I mean, ugh! The sex, I mean, sex _ed_ _project_. Ugh!" Just then, I felt something pressing down atop my head. I quickly looked up from the desk and tried looking up. I swear my heart just fluttered.

_It's him, it's him, it's him...! Bu-bum, bu-bum, bu-bum, bu-bum. Look, he's standing right there!_

I cleared my throat and shut my mouth so promptly that my teeth chattered together. Wow, now my heart had a voice...I voice of a celebrity fangirl. Uhm, uh...stand up, no...sit down. No! Stand!

Taking that last thought in, I moved away from the desk and stood up, literally hyperventilating on the spot. "A-Axel. How long've you been here?" I asked him. I felt like I had just seen a ghost.

Axel laughed sort of sweetly and shook up my hair again before crossing his arms over his chest. "Silly Roxas. Been here all morning and you never said good morning."

"Sorry. I've been caught up in a lot of things." Strangely, I was actually talking. And I wasn't talking to something that didn't even talk back. I couldn't quite put my finger on it. I just couldn't figure out why I was so afraid and worried all of a sudden. I let my eyes scan him over several times. Axel probably noticed since his eyes were following mine. No...no cuts, no bruises. What the heck was wrong with me?

"Looks like you got enough sleep."

I sighed. "No. Not really...hey, didn't Riku and your dad come back home last night?"

Axel's eyes all of a sudden trailed over to my desk and his smile went away. Oh, shit, you've done it now, Roxas. "Yeah. They came home sort of late. Dad was ticked off about _something_. I don't know what or why but Riku just said that he didn't like it all too much back in Hallow Bastion...oh, the world got a name change. That's why Namine said it was called Radiant Garden or something."

"You're sure you're ok?" I asked.

"Look, don't worry about me, alright? I can take care of myself."

"Sorry I'm late class!" Came Mrs. Lockhart's voice from the doorway. Those words were her typical way of greeting us in the morning for the past weeks. I looked up at the clock and noticed that it had been 15 minutes over time. I was about to talk to Axel again but he apparently already left to take his seat next to Demyx who sure looked worn out.

Somehow, I highly doubted that Axel could take care of himself. He worried too much about other people to even think about himself.

xxXXxx

"Whoo! Roxas! Are you seeing these?!" Hayner yelled happily. He could have picked a better place to tell me things! We were in the bathroom for god's sake! All I wanted was to pee but he had to follow up behind me and force me to take a closed off stall. People might get the wrong impression hearing from the outside.

I rolled my eyes and shook my head. "No...wha?!" I inched back when I saw Hayner's hands wiggling around from underneath my bathroom stall.

"Look! Man! This is so awesome! It's the dance to max out _all_ dances! No joke!" In both of his hands were two tickets. He shook them so violently that I was afraid he was going to rip them in half. I smiled half way and chuckled at the red tickets.

"Yeah, pretty awesome, Hayner."

"Seriously, you should go! Only costs ten munny a ticket!" He pulled the tickets back and I followed his shadow dancing around outside my stall. "Are you listening? _Ten munny a ticket!_"

"Yes, yes, I hear you! But, why do you have two? Inviting someone special, are we?"

The sound of Hayner's shoes stomping around stopped abruptly and all I heard was him laughing in a low tone. I stood up, zippered up, and waited for him to answer.

"No. Well...ah, whatever. Olette. I'm taking her. Don't think I'm gonna let her get into the hands of that creep that raped her. I've been keeping my eyes out ever since we've met up after school."

Olette...

I pursed my lips and kept one hand on the stall lock. For a while, the whole bathroom was quiet. That's right. Word still hadn't gotten out about Marluxia being the actual guy who did it. There hadn't been much news anymore since Olette quit the paper. Yeah, she quit. Mom was the one that told me yesterday when I got home that she gave up on writing articles. I just thought that maybe she was afraid that he'd come back if she said anything. Poor girl...

I sighed deeply and opened the door before walking over to the sinks to wash my hands. Hayner strode up next to me and did his usual routine of fixing his hair every damn second there was a mirror around.

"Well, the dance's this Friday night at 8:00. It goes through _midnight_." He said that last part in a sing song voice. I splashed some water in his face and dried off. "I don't have a girl to go with."

"Doesn't matter. A lot of guys don't. Anyway, you've got extra time to prepare to buy 'em after school. Turns out that the basketball game tonight was cancelled 'cause of snow and ice." He snickered and punched me in the shoulder.

"Ch, of course _you'd_ be happy. You don't even play a position!" I punched him back as both of us exited into the hallways.

"Yeah, well, aren't you happy too? Lighten up Roxas! You should be out partying more instead of huddling at home!" We stopped at his locker, he took about three tries this time to open it, and got all our stuff. "Who knows, if you don't go with someone, you might meet someone out on the dance floor." The school bell rang and we broke into a hurried walk to our next class.

While we ran, I noticed a small booth in front of the cork board that had two guys selling red tickets. There was a huge line that started stomping around when the bell rang. Most of them had two tickets with them and I looked away when I noticed.

xxXXxx

"Ok, guys, ok, watch, watch! Hey, are you watching? Watch!!"

"Yes, Demyx. We're watching. I'm telling you, you won't make it."

Demyx scoffed and placed his foot up onto the black skateboard. "Just watch. I'll show you."

Zexion shook his head and put these large black headphones back over his ears. He leaned into the wall next to me and I stared up at him while he shifted through millions of CDs in a large black case. I figured they were mostly all pirated.

"What're you doing, Zex?" Axel asked, peering over my shoulder.

"Where've you been?" I asked, jumping slightly when he pressed my arm. I pretty much got all the homework out of the way already and there wasn't much to do after school because all activities were cancelled. There wasn't even any ice on the road. I kicked at the slush at my feet and sighed.

"If you have to know," Zexion said uneventfully, "I've been asked to DJ for the school dance this Friday. I trust you both are going?"

"Why is it you always get the lucky side of the school spirit?" Axel asked and I noticed him push his attention at Demyx. I looked around Zexion and watched Demyx stick his tongue out while squinting in concentration at the handrail ahead of him. I doubted he even ever went on a skateboard before.

"Well, if you two are going, you should be the first to know that grinding is strictly prohibited."

I felt my jaw nearly dislocate and slam on the floor. I numbly looked at Zexion then at the CDs he was thumbing through. Rap, Hip-Hop, Pop, Salsa? And what did he mean he had to tell us first? What did grinding have to do with me? With Axel? For a guy of little words he sure caught people's attention.

"Gr-grinding?" I asked quietly.

"I'm gonna do it! Watch! I'm gonna do it!" Once again, I looked over at Demyx when I heard his 7 year old boy voice. He took in a deep breath and started pushing on the cement before kicking up at the back of the skateboard. He got into mid air and, for a second, I thought he was actually gonna make it...for a second. After that second, Demyx skid on the handrail and instantly wobbled to the side. The skateboard flew out from underneath him and he went right back on top of it on his stomach on the pavement below.

"Owwie..." He whined.

"I told you, you wouldn't make it..." Zexion 'I-told-you-so'd to Demyx without even looking at him all sprawled out on the cement. "Since you won't be going anywhere, _you_ should also know that there isn't grinding allowed."

Demyx didn't respond. I figured he bit his tongue so hard that he might have lost his ability to talk at all.

"Strange that Marluxia wasn't a school today. I'll have to send him a ticket since the sales end in two days."

Both Axel and I shot up from the floor. I wished I didn't since that stupid ring touched me again. I shrugged it off and pretended I hadn't paid attention to Zexion's comment. "I...yeah...it is weird."

"Don't let it bother you too much, Zex," Axel said, kicking at the slush on the ground. "The guy's probably resting up. He might've thought it was a snow day today." I really don't know how in the hell the guy pulled acts off so easily.

"_What are you all doing out here?!"_

All but Zexion bothered to follow the sound of someone's voice coming from around the corner. Even though I couldn't see Demyx, I figured he was still trying to collect his teeth that went rolling off into the snow. It turned out that it was Mr. Strife that called out to us. I shifted into a locked position as if I had been sent into military camp.

"Shouldn't you all be at home by now?" He strictly asked. Being me, I didn't answer and it just came out as chewed words. I don't do too well with lectures from adults.

"The game was cancelled so we figured that we should hang out here for a little bit," Axel answered.

"Well, your hanging out's over. Don't think that this snow is going to stay at 2 inches. It'll accumulate by...what are you doing down there, Demyx?" Mr. Strife eventually walked up to the handrail and spotted Demyx who replied with a wobbled, "I slipped."

Mr. Strife sighed as if saying 'what am I going to do with you kids?' and shot his eyes back at us. "You heard me. Walk on home before you get yourselves snow bounded or I'll have to call your parents to come pick you up."

"Yessir," Axel and I quickly said and gathered up our things. I didn't know about Axel but I wasn't willing to take a whistle to the face. It was bad enough that one side of my neck was sensitive whenever I touched it. Demyx soon was able to pry his face off the floor and met back up with us, brokenly holding the skateboard under one arm. I was surprised it survived a crash like that.

"Zexion, you stay. The dance committee wants to have a few words with you about Friday."

Zexion finally looked away from the CDs and smoothly nodded his head. I could hear some strange Latino music playing from his headphones. He pushed away from the brick wall and turned toward the entrance doors with Mr. Strife beside him. "Oh, and, Roxas," He muttered over his shoulder.

"Huh? Yeah?" I said nervously.

"Promise me you will take care of that neck of yours. I'd hate to see you getting bothered by it on the dance night." Without so much as a 'goodbye' he left with our teacher in rhythm behind him.

I sheepishly ran two fingers across the left side of my neck. I hoped Demyx or Axel hadn't seen me when I winced.

xxXXxx

That Tuesday was probably the single fastest day of my life with occasional slow pace minutes now and then. When double period of Sex Ed came around, I honestly thought I would've left that room deaf and blind. But, no, I didn't. I walked out as Roxas. It wasn't until after Axel and I finished presenting that I noticed that sex didn't strike me as bas as it did before.

I figured it was because I sort of, you know, _experienced it_ already.

On Wednesday I finally saw that Demyx and Zexion were just as 'normal' as the day I met them. Demyx still fell on his face when he tried grinding the rails and Zexion still only got through 11 CDs out of at least 100 in that huge case. Axel told me that absolutely nothing was posted about Marluxia yet. I hoped it would stay that way.

After school, Axel presented me with a single red ticket.

"_Go to the dance with me?"_ He had asked.

I said I would...as friends.

Thursday ended the ticket sales and Zexion was 'depressed' to say that Marluxia missed out on 'such a fine opportunity'. He repeated again to Axel and I that grinding was not allowed. Strangely, though, after school, I found this paper in my locker that read:

_If you want, the locker room will be open._

What got me was that the note was signed off with a heart drawn in pink ink with no name. As I tucked the paper in my pocket, I was suddenly becoming paranoid of that guy peeping at me.

Enter Friday...that one day of the week that stupid things, crazy things, things that scream 'I love you!' or drone 'shoot me now', all happen. In my case, enter Friday: that one day of that week that all of the above occur.

"If I have to remind you two about curfew one more time..."

"Mom!" Sora half raised his voice while he gussied up in front of the hallway mirror. "We know, it's ok. Roxas and I are growing boys now!"

"Shut up, Sora!" I laughed and nudged him in the side with my elbow. He shook a glob of hair gel in his hands and slapped it right atop his head. I stole half of it from his head and globbed it on my own. I swear we could go through eight bottles of hair gel in one week.

"Fine. Just promise me you'll follow rules and you won't try to force a girl into..."

"Doing something she doesn't want to do," Sora and I said in the same parental voice as we finished up on the last few spikes of our hair. Of course Sora would agree to follow that rule. I literally couldn't...girls weren't top priority in my book. He clicked his tongue and went to the front door, fixing his preppy-guy polo shirt while he did.

I decided to lay off of the khakis for one day and tried wearing some jeans that had been depressing in my closet for months. When I found them in the way corner it was like they hadn't seen the light of day the way they just slumped there on the hanger with their huge ripped hole on the left knee and frayed edges. I found a chain hanging on it too; just as shiny as the day I abandoned it.

Mom got me this black polo that she said would make me look like I was ready to dress to impress. I flat out thought the slogan sounded cheesy. But when you remove the phrase, the shirt itself looked fine with some buttons undone. Mom was the first one that found it surprising that I was dressed up neater than the past dances. What was I supposed to say? In fairness, I really _did_ have to dress to impress.

With my hair all fixed, and the ring necklace perfectly hidden under the shirt, I ran toward the door and stepped outside with Sora.

"No later than...!"

"Midnight!" Sora and I called back.

I didn't have a girl for this dance. I would have asked Olette if Hayner hadn't already done it. I wouldn't be surprised if Demyx was going out with the skeleton from science class and Zexion was going out with half of the female teachers that seemed to obsess over his over achievement. Me...?

I reached into my pocket and pulled out a folded up ticket. I turned it away from Sora and just stared at it under the moonlight. In a way, this was date number 2...minus the grinding...

_Right  
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**you know, i never figured that zexion would pass as a scratch DJ...i always thought that demyx would fit that better...but that's not fair! he already has a cool enough job as a practicing bartender. XP**

**whee! this chapter was supposed to be longer but i cut it...again. i hate when i start to ramble like a president! this is reaching a point where the characters are PMSing at an extreme level. seriously! roxas is like- meh...marluxia...axel...promising ring-thing...- then the next- wahoo! dance with axel even though there is no grinding and no special make out place! whoo!**

**XD i'm hyper! i'm just happy for tomorrow i guess. X3**

**i hope to update the next chapter in the next couple of days. i've already started working on the next one but now...i must sleep. 10 more reviews? -pah-**

**_is ruining my newly painted nails as i write yaoi,  
kokoro77_**


	25. Chapter Twenty Five: and Watch Us Go

**Author's note: -checks clock- mf...2 AM...i'm still awake. well, i'm too tired to say much except that tomorrow...i will eat a muffin. i dunno. muffins are good...ok time to sleep now. have fun grinding the night away with roxas and axel! oh yeah, and demyx and his pimple...haha, they make a good couple. X3**

**get it? chapter 24 was 'press play' now this one if 'and watch us go'! ahaha...eh...-dies-**

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Chapter Twenty Five: ...and Watch Us Go

"You kids just keep getting cuter and cuter by the minute!" Mrs. Strife squealed over the banging sound of the music from inside the school gym. After Sora and I handed her our tickets, she lightly pinched my cheeks and shook my face.

I pretended to laugh when she giggled about how cute we both were. "Uh...th-thanks, Mrs. Strife."

"Pretty soon you'll be courting all the girls in so many schools! Tell your mom to watch out for you!"

"Yeah, _Roxas_," Sora teased and pushed me forward through the doorway. "Let's go _cutie_."

"Don't call me that!" I retorted over my shoulder but I doubt he heard me. If the music was loud outside, inside the gym was like _living_ in a stereo system with the volume past MAX. The lights were turned down low but they weren't turned off and several multicolored strobe lights were spotting the dance floor. I couldn't recognize many of the teens bouncing around the DJ booth. Heck, I couldn't even see the DJ.

I counted at least four adults in the room, including that Saix character. All of them were holding flashlights in their hands and were constantly shining them on people that were 'getting their freak on' as tons of our teachers called it. It was even posted on the dance rules hanging on the walls:

1) No signs of intimacy

2) All clothes _must_ be acceptable attire. No exposed bellybuttons or backs.

3) No gum chewing is allowed in the gym. Please spit out before entering.

4) Turn off all cell phones.

5) Absolutely _no dirty dancing. _Show respect by not getting your freak on.

I looked out at the crowd dancing around the DJ booth and spotted countless people grinding. I could only imagine what Zexion was doing right now in front of all these people. I could already see it: the guy that everyone usually saw as the quiet, respectful, always does his homework student suddenly becoming extremely anal about a massive 'swaying' crowd.

"I'll catch up with ya later, 'kay Roxas?" Sora patted my back and I turned back around to see him getting stolen away by the sea of people.

"Yeah, catch you later!" I called back. If I 'caught him later' grinding, oh, mom wouldn't be able to hear the end of it. Knowing Sora, I most likely would find him like that.

When I turned back around, some guy I didn't know bumped into my back while attempting to do a moonwalk. I swayed to the side and managed to catch my balance. I glared back where I remembered he was but came up empty. It was useless looking for a familiar face in this horde. The thing with teens is, if they'll dance, you can dance with them. You don't have to know who in the heck they are. They'll make out/grind the night away with you.

I suddenly felt pretty lonesome in the pocket outside of the dancing. I felt the heat rushing my way and took a few steps back, just staring uselessly at the floor. Boy, this was pathetic. I was standing where all the pimply, 'I come in peace' geeks play Star Wars in the shadows.

_If I wrote you a symphony, just to show how much you mean to me _

_What would you do? _

_If I told you, you were beautiful _

_Would you page me on the regular? _

_Tell me would you?_

I groaned when that same came on along with so many other people that had been dancing and enjoying themselves. Suddenly, the crowd started floating my way and the little pod shrunk into a group of at least ten people. This song wasn't something people could really dance to unless everyone knew how to do the robot.

_"Oh, hey! There he is! Over there!"_

_"Where?"_

_"There! Are you looking? Hey, Roxas! Over here!"_

I looked up, only to be blinded by a strobe light, and tried catching who had called out to me. When something clung onto my shoulder, I gasped and turned around. "Who...?!"

"Roxas! You actually came!" It was Hayner with Olette tagging along behind him. He really had to lay off wearing the camouflage one of these days. At least Olette bothered to dress up! She had on a mild orange colored dress that flared out on the bottom. It came up to her knees. I was surprised that she even gussied up...you'd think that she'd come in a t-shirt to get less attention.

"Hey, Olette! Haven't seen you in a while!" I completely disregarded Hayner and hugged Olette. I bet Hayner didn't even bother to hug her...maybe it's not a guy thing.

She laughed a little when Hayner slapped my arm. "Same. You're not here with a girl?" She asked, hopefully scanning the room.

I sorely shook my head. I guess she was thinking she'd get to meet the 'future Mrs. Roxas' tonight. "No," was all I really could say. What's the term called? Coming out of the closet? I shuddered when I thought about it and my ring under my shirt seemed to do it too. It felt so awkward saying those words. Damn...

"Hey, Pence started this game of cards in the way back of the gym since..." Hayner's voice drifted off. It wasn't the sudden change of song to _You Shook me All Night Long_ that drained out his voice. It was my own head. I just nodded when ever I felt the need to. The reason was because I started thinking of Axel again. Right then and there, my body fell frozen.

All the people that originally retreated to the dark floated back over to huddle around the speakers. The three of us ended up getting banged around and thrown aside as if we didn't even exist. Hayner pushed a guy back and sent him banging into his girlfriend. He just looked around idiotically and Hayner snickered.

"Dances are so fun when you've got time to kill," Hayner jeered and Olette shook her head at him.

_"Bathroom! Oh, cruds, bathroom!"_ I heard someone squealing nervous words at my back and, at first, thought they were talking to me. I half turned and spotted a guy all hunched over while keeping a hand slapped over once cheek. When he got closer, I knew it was Demyx. I could recognize that faux-hawk from a mile away.

"Dem..." Just before I had the chance to finish talking, Demyx's head bumped into my side and he instantly shot up like a bullet.

"Whoa, snap! Huh, oh my god, Roxas! Roxas!" Breathlessly, he repeated my name over and over and shook me by the arms. I put a hand atop his shoulder to get him to stop.

"Yes, Demyx, what, what?"

"Well...I...just, come on!" In a split second, he had me dragging my feet across the floor, leaving Hayner and Olette confused in the middle of the dance floor. He pulled me by the wrist past the teachers and past the water fountains and into the boy's bathroom. My eyes stung when they were exposed to the light.

"What's wrong, Demyx?" I asked, rubbing my eyes.

"Please tell me you've got cover up! I-will-love-you-for-life!" He whined while shaking my arms again. I shook him off.

"Ok, ok, alright! Demyx! Calm down! What're you asking about?" He looked like he was heading off for late night rave. Around his neck were millions of dog tags and chains while around his wrists were countless wristbands ranging from rubber to sweatbands. His pants were ripped in random places and were lime green in color. His shirt was the same color as his pants. The left sleeve was gone and the right fell just below his elbow. Around the top of his exposed left arm was a tied off black ribbon. In his ears were two small ear buds that weren't even connected to a music player; the wires were just hanging over his neck.

So much for the 'dress appropriately' rule. His belly button was showing. He didn't have abs but he had a pretty flat stomach.

Demyx groaned to the mirror in front of us and started poking at something on his right cheek. "Sorry...I _just_ saw this stupid thing right when I got up on the DJ booth. Zexion let me up and was all like, 'is that a planet on the side of your face?' Dude, it freaked me out so much that I nearly fell off of the platform!"

"A planet on the side of your face? Oh, you mean a zit..." I said dryly. Oy, I was afraid that he had broken an arm. Here I was, attempting to save him from a ferocious pimple.

"Ye-hes!" He whined at the ceiling and leaned against the sink all defeated-like. "No one has cover up! Well...I haven't even really asked...but _you_!" He spun around and made me jump when he thrust his finger at me. "Please tell me you've got cover up..."

I smiled faintly and scratched the side of my head. "Erm...no...I mean..."

Just when Demyx reopened his mouth to scream, a rush of hot air blew from behind me which caused the hair on the back of my neck to stand on end. Demyx's face didn't change at all. He went on whimpering like a puppy about to relieve itself on the carpet. That just signaled to me that the person who entered was someone he knew. Zexion maybe?

"What Roxas means to say, Demyx...is..." I looked to my right and saw a hand reaching out a mint colored tube. Confused, I looked further over my shoulder to see who it was even though I already recognized the voice. "...he dropped it while you dragged him over to the bathroom."

Demyx got all giddy when he spotted the tube and darted right for me before snatching it up. He quickly un-capped it and turned back to the mirrors. "Oh, Axel, man, you-are-a-life-saver!" He squeezed some of the cream out on his finger and dabbed it on the zit. The thing was as small as a drop of water; it wasn't like the whole world would see it!

"Axel? You're...here too?" I asked quietly.

Axel placed his head atop mine and draped his arms over my shoulders like a lazy cat. "Mm-hm," He started matter-of-factly. "I was the one that bought you the ticket, remember? I couldn't leave my little _date_ alone on the dance floor." He laughed when he saw my face scrunch up in the reflection in the mirror.

Right. Date. He was the one that asked me. I can't believe I almost forgot that! "You've got pimple problems too?" I asked, trying to change the subject...after all, Demyx was still in the room.

He pushed off of me and, from what I saw in the reflection, started running a hand across his face with his copyright smirk drawn on his face. "I don't think so," He stated boldly.

I rolled my eyes and pushed him with my elbow. "Stop being so full of yourself."

"Oh? Then why don't you give me the opinion then, Ro-x-as?" Playfully, Axel leaned in on my face when he said my name. I inched back and looked away, pursing my lips and furrowing my eyebrows just incase Demyx was even paying attention.

_"Alright, let's gather people around the speakers. Here's a song that most of you should know..."_

Suddenly, there was a huge uproar coming from outside the door that made the whole gym shake. Axel looked away from me and stared at the door along with Demyx who finally stopped covering up; he used practically half of the cream. He hurried on his feet and speed walked over to the door, shoving the tube back in Axel's waiting hand.

"That's my cue," He chirruped and pulled the door open for both Axel and I to see seemingly thousands of bodies lining up side-by-side as the music began remixing. "Cha-cha slide. You guys should join in! It'll be fun! Besides, Zexion's letting me try a hand at the speed table to remix the song up. Haha, it'll totally confuse them."

I raised an eyebrow at him, for one thing, amazed that his pimple was virtually _gone_, and let him run off into the darkened dance floor, out of sight. The door closed softly in my face and I let my shoulders relax.

"Well, you heard Demyx," Axel said from behind me.

"Hm?" I was slightly embarrassed to be going to a dance with Axel. No one knew. Not even mom. Not even Hayner. Mom thought I was sharing Olette with Hayner since that was what I told her last night. Well, we _had_ gone on a first date. I thought that this would be included into the date book at all. Just by looking at Axel's conniving expression, I had a feeling that it was indeed a date.

Axel always had to dress like the smooth operator that he is. At least his clothes were more practicable than Demyx's. Underneath this black, thin weight, unbuttoned polo was a long sleeved white shirt and just passed his wrists. Around his neck were two dog tags, each engraved perfectly in cursive with his name. I seriously thought his pants were going to fall off when I saw them, hanging by what looked like only a couple of stitches and threads. Both of his knees were fully exposed since these two gaping holes ripped through the jeans. Around his waist was a black and white checkered belt. I finally saw that he left that identical ring necklace in plain sight; not tucked in, not painted a different color.

I suddenly felt sickened in myself for not showing mine.

"C'mon. Let's go dance!" Eagerly, he grabbed my right wrist and pulled the door open. The music came spilling inside along with sharp spikes of red and yellow light that flashed to the beat.

_Two hops, two hops! _

"ONE, TWO!"

_Two hops, two hops! _

"ONE, TWO!"

Everyone outside were screaming the words each time the song yelled it out. Each time the person told them what to do, they did it as if they were all born to do nothing better with their lives. Axel managed to drag me outside back into where I swear steam clouds were floating past my face.

"I-am-_not_ dancing to this song!" I yelled, letting my lungs jump around in my chest when I raised my voice.

Axel let go of my wrist and faced me. I stopped when I saw his eyes floating around as if they were the flashlights from one of our teachers. They were still playing the _Cha-Cha Slide­ _that, just as he promised, Demyx was speeding up and slowing down either a million times more or less. This one girl dancing in front of us was gasping so much for breath that her boyfriend had to hold onto her while she kept stubborn to follow the music.

_"Hey, hey, you'll die of an as...asema attack." _

_"It's asthma...I don't even have asthma!"_

_"Whatever. You'll still die dancing." _

Axel brought my attention back to him. "Hey, Roxas," He said over the jumping crowd. I looked at him and noticed that his eyes were looking up and down like he was about to pounce on me. I gulped which made my neck feel sore again. Damn, that pain still wasn't going away.

"At least dance for _two _seconds..." He begged, grabbing both of my wrists this time. I nervously stared off at the dark side of the gym in the corner of my eye. Good, none of the geeks were around to see this. Still...

"No. Dancing...erm, it isn't my thing," I replied. Seriously, I was NOT about to go bounding around in a sideways conga line. As if I was embarrassed enough at school. Now there were _girls_ here. Girls! Gossip with girls spreads like a disease once someone even whispers a word. I shook my head defiantly at him.

Axel just wouldn't take the hint. Every word that spilled out of my mouth was just 'getting shut out by the music'. He shook his head back at me a bit slowly and, all of a sudden, the song changed and Zexion's droning voice came back on the speaker system. Apparently he was a pretty good DJ because everyone started getting ecstatic when he talked.

_"This one song was placed as a request. Please, dance responsibly."_ I managed to peek over the heads in the slowly re-gathering crowd. They were all giggling at Zexion's last words as if he was being sarcastic. Seriously, people, is the guy every feeling _anything_? Right when the next song started playing, it was back to the sparks and friction.

_"Am I throwing you off?" _

_"Nope." _

_"Didn't think so." _

_How you doin' young lady? _

_That feelin' that you givin' me really drives me crazy... _

"Oh, no..." I gasped. Axel was getting really eager and I could feel it in the way his hold on me changed. I felt some sort of spark trail up my arm and it shot all through my body. I could've sworn my hair was standing up even more than usual.

"Alright, if you're _not_ dancing to that song..." Quickly, he gave my wrists a tug and slammed our bodies together. I stopped breathing for a second and begged, _begged_ that we hadn't been caught. I felt his hands move down to my hips and his legs starting to place themselves on both sides of me. No, no, no! Friction bad! Bad, bad! "How 'bout this one?" He whispered in my ear.

I tightly squeezed my eyes shut and buried my face in his chest, deciding that biting his shirt would help release some embarrassment. In my little world, everyone was looking and everyone was talking. Even the lights were laughing at me. Even the speakers were yelling in my face. The whole room was starting to sway right and left, right and left to a point where my head was starting to get dizzy-spills. I began to attempt to let some air into me but it wasn't doing much good. Each time the sways went right again, my heart and breathing just doubled in speed. The swaying felt like it had a pulse mimicking my own...

That's when something hit me...I peeked out from my hiding spot and looked at the floor.

_If you want, the locker room will be open._

Locker room...open...room...those words just kept spiraling around my head ruling out my thoughts of _not grinding_ into absolutely nothing. That note couldn't have been in my locker for nothing, right? Shakily, I put my hands on Axel's chest and pushed us away from each other. Confused, but still immorally, he looked back at me with his head down low.

"Axel, wait."

"Something wrong?"

"No...I mean, yes..." I shook my head at him and started again. "The teacher's'll catch us. We're out in the open..."

"It's ok to bend a few rules right?"

"No, no, no, you don't get it. They'll tell our parents...look, I got this note. I think the locker room's..." I paused, rethinking myself through. Ok, easy, Roxas. You're not going to die...just say things slowly and don't screw up. "...open. I think the locker room's open."

Axel raised an eyebrow down at me and his eyes occasionally looked behind me where I knew the doors to the locker rooms were. "Who told you that? They're posting everywhere that they're locked."

I was surprised that he got my message through. Truthfully, what good would going in the locker room be? Well...if no one saw...I mean, everyone thought it was locked off. I thought of it as a secret place I guess.

"I don't know. But...we can _try_ I guess. I mean, if it's closed there's..."

"Let's risk it," He whispered elatedly and soon had both of us pushing through people just to get there. I wasn't dragging my feet...I really was running. I wanted to go. I wanted to go. As we stopped at the door, Axel gave it a push and looked over his shoulder. I guess no one caught us yet because he winked at me and managed to open it wide enough for us to fit through. As I put a foot inside, I saw Zexion up on the DJ platform, his eyes looking my way while he kept one hand on one of his headphones. He mouthed something that I heard being whispered through the speakers..."_good luck_."

He was smiling.

xxXXxx

The song started playing through a second time, this time remixing. I guessed that Demyx was the one doing it. Someone must have requested for it to be played again but I really couldn't care less. When you just want to dance, you really don't pay attention to the words or what they mean. You just..._dance_.

It was pitch black in the locker rooms and they smelled just as they did before: like week old rotten vegetables and old spice soap. I made sure to quietly shut the door and I kept my hand pressed against it just to make sure that it was fully closed. Axel switched the lights on which surprised me and made my shoulders tense up.

"You're really a good little sneak," He snickered and carefully wrapped both of his arms around my waist, closing the gap between both of us just like he did before...only this time, we weren't facing each other. This was it...I should've eaten something before I left home; my stomach was going off like a washing machine with overflowing bubbles.

I opened my mouth to give him some sort of smart remark. Something just traveled up my throat and cut me off so I ended up choking on air. Like I said, I wanted to dance. _Wanted to_ like everyone else. Right now, I really wouldn't respond to 'you' or 'someone-I-don't know'. That all changed. When ever I'm with Axel, it's like I turn back into _Roxas_.

The little pocket of air left my throat and I smiled, adorably tilted my head to the side. "Yes. A clever little sneak, right?"

Axel nudged the left side of my neck with his mouth which felt feathery touching that one spot that had been bothering me so much. I lightened a pained groan that escaped my throat. I didn't want him to be worried about me. So much for that thought. It didn't work at all.

"Hn? Did I hurt you?"

I shook my head, being careful not to bang our heads together. "N-no, it's ok...it's just that..."

"Ah...I see what it is." He lightly ran a finger through that one spot and scoffed wittily. "You've got one of those things...a hickey."

"H-huh?" Scared, I suddenly felt like I had just ran through a crowd in nothing but my underwear. I was about to reach up and cover my neck with my hand but he just stopped me, telling me that it didn't matter. "Are...you sure?" I asked. "It's been hurting like that for days."

"Ah, it's just a little biting bruise. Nothing to get so worried about. Relax, alright? You came here to dance." The whole time he was talking, the world began spinning and flowing at some kind of beat. I felt that, if I shut my eyes tight enough, that I would be able to strip the music away and disregard the fact that we were moving in a locker room...of all places. But, somehow, I didn't think it would be so fun without music or the atmosphere. I told my mind to keep my eyes open. It listened.

Axel once again put both legs on opposite sides of me, lightly pressing my legs together with his own. He kept his hands on both sides of my waist and leaned us back a little until I could literally feel us exchanging some heat. With our bodies together, I could feel the hardness of his necklace cutting into my back but I tried my best to ignore it. Just as another verse of the song started playing, I bent my knees, legs apart, and followed Axel's lead. After all, he seemed more experienced than I did.

Stage 1...

_Are you ready? _

_Roses are red some diamonds are blue _

_Chivalry's dead but you're still kinda cute _

_Hey, I can't keep my mind off you _

_Where you at, do you mind if I come through? _

I felt like I could melt into a puddle and never get out. That's how badly the song hit me mixed in with the intense high feeling of actually moving. I wasn't standing out there on the dance floor waiting for midnight to pass. Instead, I was in some secret place, dancing with Axel. Sure, adults would call it inappropriate but, hey, if they couldn't see anything, then we could go all night.

"You're pretty good at this, Roxas," Axel said, digging his thumbs into the belt straps of my jeans.

"Just following you." The thought that he was starting to pull down at my pants really hadn't hit me until I felt cold air touch my stomach. Stage 2...

"If you say so." He left it at that, the pants I mean. He must've pulled them at least two inches below my waist. I swear I saw clouds of red floating around us, making the metal doorknob fog up when it passed it. Things got a little more intense when I found myself reaching behind me to grab the back of Axel's neck. I half looked over my shoulder at him and I gave him a push. Stage 3...

He came back with a push of his own, even quickening the speed and reaching lower to the floor. I followed him down and pushed up a bit with my legs, squeezing in another level of friction. The fog just seemed to accumulate. Really all I could feel was Axel behind me. Every other little pain that had been bugging me had completely gotten lost in the fog. Beads of sweat were already sliding down my face. Enter the panting from both parties. Stage 4...

I parted my lips to try easing my breathing but all I got into me was desert air that just tightened up my airway. I didn't mind that it was uncomfortable to breathe. The fact that Axel was panting against me kept me going. Things got really touchy from there. Occasionally, Axel's thumbs would just graze the skin on my hips and each time I felt it, I'd give his neck a light pinch with my fingers.

We barely talked at all. All the talking was done through grinding...and that had been only one song. About another 50 fast songs and 4 slow ones to go.

xxXXxx

"Aren't you tired yet?" Axel asked me; by now our dancing had really slowed down and we were now facing each other. Frontal grinding: new vocab word for Roxas. Definition: when two people have back grinded and sent sparks flying through at least twenty bazillion dirty songs they want to slow things down so they front grind at speeds of up to two miles per hour.

I dimly smiled and sighed. "I think the question is if Zexion's tired of DJing all these songs. His arms must be falling off..."

"Yeah. I know what you mean. He hasn't played a slow dance since the dance started." Disappointedly, Axel stared at the door. We had stopped moving for a little break.

While he had his face turned away, I took some time to look at his ring necklace dangling around his neck. I wouldn't be surprised if I had an outlined bruise of that thing on my back. I couldn't help but be lost in the way it went on sparkling like that...I couldn't help but wonder if maybe it had a mind of its own, telling me things that I couldn't understand. I knew it was the reason why I had cried some nights before...but why? What were those voices? Why me?

_"Let's take things down a bit with the first slow dance of the night. Let's dim the lights and, boys, don't be rude in picking a girl."_

In the middle of my thoughts, a humming guitar intro began playing in my head. It started out there and eventually made it into the rest of the room, almost as loud as it would be if we had been standing right in front of the speakers. I looked up at Axel who looked away from the door, a rare sentimental smile put on. Right when the first word of the song was sung, the lights in our room dimmed. Weird. I thought only the gym lights could do that. Zexion...?

_This time, this place _

_Misused, mistakes _

_Too long, too late _

_Who was I to make you wait? _

_Just one chance, just one breath _

_Just in case there's just one left _

_'Cause you know, you know, you know..._

"As if he couldn't get any sappier..." Axel sighed and pulled me closer to him until I had my face only centimeters away from touching his chest. I suddenly felt flushed and thought if maybe I shouldn't even be doing this. First slow dance...I promised Olette that she would be my first when we were kids. I felt so rotten...then again, judging by the way I let Axel rest his cheek on the side of my face, a first dance _was_ supposed to be with someone special.

I rather liked sappy songs. They just had this ability to calm a whole riled up crowd down with something as simple as a note from a guitar. They could take wild dance partners and change them into prince and princess in a second.

Getting into the 'sappy' mood, I pulled my arms up to my neck and shifted right and left, left and right with Axel's hands on my waist...not pulling the pants down.

"Getting tired..." I whispered to him.

"Don't sleep. That means I'll have to drag you home..."

"Well, aren't you used to it?"

"Yeah...it's not all that bad."

I smiled again and suddenly noticed the faint shimmer from Axel's necklace. The chain around my neck began tingling excitedly when I saw the ring only inches from my nose. Carefully, I reached down my shirt and pulled out the ring, letting it sit right on my chest. The tingling stopped as the rings swayed together. Like something pulled out of a fairy tale...wow. I just didn't want this song to end. That's another thing about sappy songs, they end right when you get pulled into it.

"Hey, if you fall asleep, think your mom'll let you stay at my house over night?"

I blinked. "Are you crazy? She'd have the police banging at your door in less than a second."

"That's when I go all cutesy and tell 'em that you were too tired to walk home so I took you to the nearest rest stop."

"Ch, cops don't believe that stuff...even if you're as skilled a manipulator as yourself..."

"I take that as a compliment." Axel laughed right by my ear.

I found someway to get my head right next to his neck. I nudged him a bit with my chin. I really don't know why...I really don't know why I even started _kissing it_. The kissing led to light biting which led to licking then biting then kissing again.

"Fair play, right?" Axel said lightly, tilting his head in the opposite direction. That's how I knew he liked that. I hadn't even planned that move. I pulled back and went on staring at the rings. They had stopped swaying at were just sitting there, losing their shine...huh?

I curiously looked up at the ceiling but the lights were just as dimmed as they were at the beginning of the song. Axel must've felt my heart beat speeding up and got all concerned.

"Hey, Roxas. You ok?" He straightened his head and looked at the ceiling too.

The little fog that had been all stuffed in the room completely left and was replaced with the feeling of ice. I looked around but no doors that I could see had been opened. Maybe I'm just being paranoid...calm down...calm down...but I just wouldn't. Why? Why did I decide to stop dancing? Someone couldn't have been looking...?

"Roxas?"

_"Alright, if I could..."_

_Keep breathing _

_Hold onto me an..._

The song from outside abruptly cut off and the lights flickered off. Axel and I were left in the pitch black we had entered in before. Shit, I knew something was wrong...power outage? That sounded too easy for me to get all scared. I heard several screams and shoes scuffing around outside the door. I pictured all the geeks in the dark just ignoring the outage, they belonged there anyway.

Hesitantly, I clung onto Axel's shirt and tried hiding my face. "I guess the power went out..." I whispered.

He nodded and I felt his body twist around. He was probably looking. "We should get out of here and see if Zexion's ok." He tapped the top of my shoulder and quietly slipped away from me. I wished he hadn't because I felt like I was going to fall over something when he did.

"Hey! Don't leave!" I hissed into the darkness. Axel didn't reply and all I heard were some shoes being dragged across the floor and the door to the locker rooms being opened. I spun toward the door and hoped that no one had come inside. I guessed Axel left and thought that I was behind him so I followed outside without a second look over my shoulder.

Some moonlight from outside was all that we had for extra light. That and the flashlights that the teachers had with them. I was suddenly glad they brought them along. Nervously, I rubbed the top of my shoulder and wandered aimlessly through the gym, thinking that Axel was in front of me...

"Hey! Axel, where're you? Hey!" I called out amongst the crying girlfriends and cheap boyfriends. I reached my arms out to feel around but all I met with were air and random high schoolers. Damn...

Frustrated, I looked to the right where I knew the DJ booth was. Sure enough, Zexion was up there with a flashlight in hand, searching at random areas on the power plugs on his turn tables. Axel-less, I quick stepped to the platform, pushing through mounds of people, and walked up the steps to where I saw Zexion fumbling with a teacher with the cords.

"Uhm, Z-Zexion?" I asked.

He quietly looked up at me with his one eye and stood up from the ground. "Roxas," He replied. "Is Axel with you?"

Hm? How did...never mind. "N-no...I lost him on the way...I mean, I lost him when we left the bathroom." As if that sounded better than locker room.

His eye widened in disbelief and he smiled. It scared me to a point where I thought I would have to jump off of the platform. As the teacher working on the wires swore for shocking themselves, Zexion's smile immediately faded when he appeared to be looking off behind me. I noticed and looked over my shoulder, only to see the doors exiting to the streets. I heard some tires screeching off down the road...

"No..." He whispered to the dark. "No, no. Roxas!"

Did he just _raise _his voice? Amazed, I looked back at Zexion who was suddenly a step away from me, his face twisted in negative shock. "Huh?"

"I want you to go home, _now_. Find Riku's number and call him. If he doesn't answer, _try again._" Leaving the teacher to curse at him for leaving, Zexion jumped the steps to the platform and I instantly lost him in the darkness.

"Zexion! Hey, what..."

"Roxas, now! I need you to do it now! _Now!_" His voice shot right at me as if he was my own mom. Only this time, he doesn't sound like his lecturing...he sounds afraid...tortured almost. What the hell was going on? I needed to find Axel. I had to. If I found him, then I might've unstuck my feet from the floor. I hoped he could somehow see me up here...what was I thinking, everyone was blind.

"Roxas!"

I looked up to where I heard Zexion's voice pang into my ear. He was standing right in front of the exit door, ready to burst out running; I could tell in the way he was standing. I wished he could've stayed for me to ask what was going on.

"Please, go home and call Riku! Arson! He's been here! He's been here!"

The room suddenly got darker, colder, dead silent the second I heard that. Axel missing...Arson missing...I prayed for another slow song.

* * *

**...wah...axie waxie...I LUB YOU!! -glomps then sleeps- i have to sleep...seriously NOW. -sounds like Zexion- XD...**

**enter the climax...oooo!!! dun dun dun dun...wow, i'm so dilusional...i didn't even spell that right! well, i should go off to dream about akuroku dancing. haha, that sounds fun. X3 sorry if i drabbled. i'm not loved anymore DX**

**well, please review if it's worth it! thanks much to all you night readers...time to sleep now with pikachu and mickey. -snuggle-**

**_akuroku princess muffin...ah screw it...XD,  
kokoro77_**


	26. Chapter Twenty Six: Caution Tape

**Author's note: shh...i'm not supposed to be typing right now. see, my dad said i'm not allowed to type as often because of my low geometry grade. :( i've got high grades in everything else but math. wah! it's not my fault! my teacher is like jackie chan...except he doesn't teach while running around killing ninjas...yeah!**

**well, that's my reason for not updating soon enough! sorry everyone who has been waiting...-hides under a rug-**

**well, the wait is over...i think? haha, hope you have fun reading! ehehe...eh...-sleeps-**

* * *

Chapter Twenty Six: Caution Tape

I just couldn't believe it...I just couldn't. Nothing could honestly make me believe that Arson was actually in the gym, on the dance floor...and possibly somewhere else I didn't know of. I didn't want to think about it but Zexion's voice constantly nagged at the back of my head.

_Arson! He's been here! He's been here!_

I kept picturing that guy standing at any corner just watching and waiting for someone so he could blow them up. That's how deadly the guy seemed. I would've mistaken him for a killer. But, as I was just about to push open the exit door, I knew it.

Arson _was_ a killer.

No, Roxas, please, please don't think something like that. No. He is _not_ going to kill _anyone_. Just think back to what Olette said... Twilight Town is the safest place in the entire universe...right? Please, try to believe it, Roxas. Go on..._believe it!_

Feeling like I was being swarmed by thousands of voices and eyes, I banged by head once on the exit door to which one of the teachers nearly collapsed from screaming so much. They shined a light on me and I panicked, opened the door and darted outside in the cold. I could hear them calling out to me to come back, Roxas, come back...

It wasn't much like me to not respond to an adult...with the exception of an emergency. I mean, not everything was an emergency to me. If I failed a quiz, if I tripped and twisted my ankle...those things weren't emergencies. Axel lost: that was a real disaster.

xxXXxx

Of all times, of all times! Why did it have to be now? Just when I was ready to bang my door open, I realized that I had lost my house key somewhere; maybe it fell when I was running. I felt like I had been running from a ghost.

"Damn door!" I cursed and, using what was left in me, started throwing punches at it like crazy. I kicked and even tried scratching at it, not once thinking or remembering that mom was at home, possibly asleep by now. "I don't have time for this!"

Right when I felt my hands turn numb, both from the cold and from the hitting, the door swung open and I found myself in a face plant on the living room floor. I just let the pain rush right past me. I couldn't care less if I even had a brush with death. Something in my head was telling me that now wasn't the time to be concerned about myself.

"Oh, Roxas! Oh! What is...what are you _doing_? Do you think this is funny pounding on the door like that?! Honestly! Where is your house key? Shouldn't you have it with you?"

I took only a second to get together enough air in me to straighten up. I pushed up from the floor and rubbed my head before standing. Mom's mouth went on flapping but all I heard were buzzes and my own heart beat. I shook my head at her and broke into a fast walk toward the kitchen.

"Roxas! You get back here and tell me what's going on!"

"Sora,.." I panted.

"Sora? Is this about your brother? Why what's wrong with him?"

"No!" I said, loud enough for mom to drop her jaw. I was so gonna get killed after this. "No. Does Sora...have Riku's cell number...lying around here somewhere?" I turned to the fridge and began clawing through paper after paper that clung to the door. Pizza...school...Olette's mom...Hayner...where the hell was it? To think, the two had been best friends for millions of years and the damn number was playing hiding games with me.

It took some effort, and more screeching from mom before I was finally able to see the number on a small, ripped, crumbled up piece of paper. I tossed all the rejected numbers onto the counter and spun back toward the living room, trying to get my hands to calm down from shaking so much. I had to find some way to hold onto the paper and my cell at the same time.

Mom followed right behind me, holding her bathrobe shut over her chest with her hand ready to slap across my face. I'd let her do it, and then I'd go on calling. Nothing was gonna stop me.

I flipped my phone open and began punching in the numbers digit after digit. It felt like it took forever to type in and even longer to hold up to my mouth to speak. "Come on, pick up...Riku..." I breathed into the phone and paced back and forth on my heel.

"Roxas, can you just tell me what's wrong? Is someone hurt?" Mom held her head in her hands as she sat down on the couch, trying her best to keep her voice calm and clear. How was I supposed to answer her? Is someone hurt? I don't know...I just don't know...I wish that I did; or maybe I didn't.

"Riku...answer me..."

_"Hey, this is Riku_."

"Riku! Riku, hey, where're..."

_"I'm not here right now so call back. If this is Sora, don't bother 'cause I hate your guts, haha! Just kidding."_

_"To page this person, press 1 now. Otherwise, you may hang up or leave a message after the tone."_

I let out a stifled groan and bit my lip until I could taste metal from my blood. I let go when the tone came and I tried to sort out what I wanted to say first.

"Uhm, uh, Riku. Riku, it's me...uhm...Roxas, Roxas. That's me. Hey I'm just, just calling 'cause Zexion, ah, he's Axel's friend, he told me to call you and check in. I'm gonna try calling you up again but...Riku just pick up the phone ok? I've gotta know if you guys are ok...is Axel ok? I mean...call me. Call me. Bye." Hurriedly, I shut the phone and rubbed my forehead while staring at the floor.

This was hurting me so much. _Too much_. I was just thinking that somehow he'd show up, knocking on my door saying that he lost his way through the dance. Or maybe he went back home and couldn't get inside so he was coming to see if he could stay at our place. I shut my eyes and faintly heard tires screeching off in my head. No...nothing I made up could've been practical. Why did kidnapping have to be real?

"Roxas, honey, are you ok? Roxas?"

I opened my eyes and didn't look up. "I don't know..." I whispered.

"Honey, you have to tell me what happened. Let me help you out, ok?"

She wouldn't understand. She would end up telling the whole town that someone was missing. I didn't want this to be other people's business...I didn't want Axel to get so much attention on his pain. Then he'd be surrounded by so many people that wouldn't understand. And if I wasn't there to help him out, then he'd definitely break apart. God, Axel, _where are you_?

"Roxas. Are you sure you don't want to..."

Just when mom started up talking again, trying her best to console me, there was a loud banging coming from our door. I forced my head upright and, glossy-eyed, stared at the door.

_"Mom! It's Sora! Open up!"_

"Oh, did _he_ forget his key too?" Mom sighed uselessly and stood up. She dragged her blue, fluffy slipper feet to the door and unlocked it, letting Sora stumble inside like he'd been thrown in by a tornado. I was hoping for someone else to tell you the truth...

"Mom, you gotta see this. All these cops are talking on their walkie-talkies around every corner. There're all saying that we've gotta stay inside our houses."

"Then why should I go see it?" Mom asked, rolling her eyes at him.

"Well...I'm guessing it's 'cause the power was cut for miles...look outside, it's like darkness ate up the place."

"Is that what this is about? Oh, Roxas, don't scare me like that!" Mom whined, turning toward me. "I know you're not fond of the dark but..."

"Roxas? When'd you get here?" Sora asked, staring at me like I had risen from the dead.

"Sora!" I said, suddenly feeling my heart jump. Sora literally jumped and stared at me. "We're going to Axel's house."

"What? Why?"

"Just listen to me! There's something...wrong...I think there's something wrong with him."

"Roxas, breathe for a sec, ok? Tell me what's wrong."

"I don't know, ok? Alright? I don't know yet. But the more we sit around here and do nothing the more..."

_"Excuse me, ma'am. Do you have a minute?"_

Oh what now? More people showing up on our door like abandoned kids...? I watched the shadow of the unknown person appear from behind Sora before I could see a police officer standing straight and erect in the doorway. Sora spun around and blocked mom protectively.

"Sora...yes, officer? Is there a problem?" Mom lightly pushed Sora to the side.

"A bit of a problem. There's a house a couple of neighborhoods down from you experiencing some difficulties. We're not all too sure about it but, just to keep you safe, I need to ask you and your kids to please lock yourselves in your house and to not answer the door for anyone."

"A couple of neighborhoods down? What, which house? Who?" I asked randomly but mom shut me up my raising her hand.

"I'm sorry. He's been a little shaky tonight. Alright, I understand."

"Thank you ma'am. Stay inside!" With that said, he trudged back down the steps and out of sight down the street. Mom tightly shut the door and began turning several locks, making sure to keep us air tight. No, no, no...this ruined everything.

xxXXxx

_"Roxas! Aren't you going to eat something?"_

I kept my head pressed tightly against my mattress and squeezed a pillow over my face. Hopefully, if I squeezed tight enough, I wouldn't be able to breathe anymore. And if that happened, then I'd be able to remove everything and everyone. No matter how hard I pressed and no matter how tight it got to breathe, my head was stuck. I couldn't throw away people like that. Especially if that person happened to be Axel.

Mom's voice eventually died off and the house fell dead silent. My blood ran cold and my head suddenly felt extremely light. Getting uncomfortable, I pushed the pillow away and sat up in bed.

Breath in, breath out...don't cry. Boys don't cry.

I turned my head to the right and noticed my calendar pinned to the wall under the moonlight. I squinted to make out how many days were left of school but each time I counted a day, that tiny, stubby little pencil blocked my view. It kept swinging weakly by a string. As it swung, the ring on my shirt began to follow its beat; weak and near death.

I had a thought that I should grab both and fling them out the window. What was I thinking? I could barely even lift a finger to touch them. There had to be a way...someway or another I was _going_ to get out of here. Let mom ground me. Let Sora call the cops. I didn't care...I just didn't care.

I wondered if Zexion was there already...finding some way to break into Axel's house while people held him back. That could be me right now...it was gonna be me.

I slowly turned toward my window and stared outside at the pitch black town. With the power cut, no one would see me. I'd blend right in and let it steal me away. I took my time, which was hard to do, to unlock my windows and push them open without them squeaking all too much. Once they were at least halfway open, I looked over my shoulder at my door then back to the street below me.

Right...we were two stories up. I'd get myself crushed if I tried to jump from here. Defeated, I slapped the windowsill and frantically looked right then left. As if that was of any use. The dark kept me blind. I turned back to stare at the street under my window...jump, Roxas. Just jump. You can handle a little pain...

I shook my head. What was I thinking up just now? A suicide call? I looked back at my bed and thought of something just then. Now really wasn't the time to be thinking slowly. I grabbed at my sheets on the bed, removed the case on the pillow as well as the bed covers. I rolled them up together and tied each off until they were like a rope. I tied off one of my old t-shirts at the end and, without even double checking the knots, tossed the end out the window. Luckily, it fell about a story down. I guessed I could jump from there...

"Sorry, mom..." I whispered. "I'm so crazy, I know...but..." I looked down again when I suddenly heard some feedback from a microphone in the distance. Great, the cops were starting to gather and I didn't even know if our issues were related. Swiftly, I kept the other end of the fake rope under a huge pile of pillows and dirty laundry and put both feet over the edge.

Halfway down, I jumped and hit the ground like a pound of nails. I stumbled a bit and looked back up before yanking the rope, along with loose laundry, out of the window. I didn't bother to clean it up. I just took off panting down the street and to the front of my house.

If I wanted to get to Axel, it would have to be before the cops caught me.

xxXXxx

_"To page this person, press 1 now. Otherwise, you may hang..."_

I shut my phone again and kept on running. Why the hell wouldn't Riku pick up his phone? That just supported my thought that maybe their whole family was falling apart. Riku wouldn't be asleep at this hour. And on a Friday too! He should've been at the dance. Still running, more like limping since my right ankle was aching, I flipped open the phone and tried again only to get the stupid automatic voice.

"Shit," I hissed to the ground and shoved my phone back into my pocket. Why was this taking so damn long? Breathe...I had to breathe...just keep running and breathe.

I skidded around the corner and drew in a deep breath. This was it. If I died from what I would see, I hoped that the police would at least say I was out doing a good thing. At least for me it was. Dammit, _it was_.

Right when I turned the corner, I was stopped by this flashing blue and red light that pinned me like a deer in the headlights. All around me were people. Women, men, runaway kids and teens...like me. They were all staring at this one house to the right of me, occasionally turning their heads to the person next to them to start up some game of telephone. But I knew that game, the phrase always came out different.

The scene was even causing the women to keep their hands over their mouths while the men just stared at the sky, maybe praying? All of them were held back by long strips of yellow tape that read CAUTION in huge black font. What that tape surrounded was that one house: all dark and banged up as the very first time I saw it. A prison. Only this time, I saw it as nothing but a _real prison_.

I slowly inched toward the tape as far as the police would let me. I still felt like I was miles away. Seemingly hundreds of black swat trucks were positioned around policeman after policeman; car after car; machine gun after machine gun; spike bomb after spike bomb. I felt like I was a target in this war zone.

I never took my eyes away from the house. Were these people crazy? What exactly were they planning to do? Just to think...I was up on that roof...mindlessly standing with nothing but the moon as my witness. Now what?

I tried to overhear the conversation from the woman and this one runaway kid next to me. The kid was playing around with his loose tooth while he started randomly talking to me.

"Ya know...I heard the guy in there is a monster. That's what my mom says. She's says he looks at you and you nearly die..."

I looked away for one second.

"If that's the case, then those guys he has inside the house with him must be long gone by now..."

"Guys? What?"

"You didn't hear?" The little boy closed in on me and hid behind my leg. "He's got his kids in there...he's not letting them out."

Breathe in, breathe out...breathe in...I'm dead.

* * *

**sorry that that was a short chapter! i'm trying my best to get this going but i just didn't want to blabble so i cut this chapter and made it the rest of the next chapter. that should be posted about friday or saturday...or sunday night...have faith in meeeee!!! -flails-**

**...COLTS WON THE SUPAHBOWL...wahoo**

**haha, there's my real person message that is probably the only non-anime related thing i will ever say. wheehoo!**

**i miss axie waxie...really, i want to hug him...kiss him...well...doesn't everyone?? no? ok, i'll shut up. -runs off into bed-**

**_CAUTION...WAR ZONE AHEAD,_**

**_kokoro77 (yes, i'm a war zone, no? XD)_**


	27. Chapter Twenty Seven: Point, Aim, Fire

**Author's note: ok, i have raised grades and am back to post! ah, i love writing until 2 in the morning...-faints- i'll probably watch some bleach before sleeping though. XD**

**i hope this chapter doesn't scare anyone. truthfully, i scared myself writing. -shivers- i'm such a nut...a shivering nut? O.o a weird shivering nut...i'll shut up now. XDD;**

**aku...I LOVE YOU!!! -runs away-**

* * *

Chapter Twenty Seven: Point, Aim, Fire

Seriously, I thought I was dead. I wasn't even sure if this was what 'dead' felt like...but I was pretty sure I was close. I just realized that, right now, it was freakishly cold outside; so cold that if you threw a cup of water at the road, it would freeze even before it would hit the ground. No wonder this kid was shivering behind my leg.

I put a hand on the kid's head and he shrunk back behind me even more, like he wanted to disappear. I'm with ya, kid. Really. I'm scared out of my mind.

"Did...did you know the people that lived in that house?" He suddenly asked me.

It took me forever to force something out of my throat. Every time I opened my mouth to speak, the words just got choked on and came out as 'uhm' or 'ah, well'. I was too freaked out say anything, seeing as there were cops hovering this way and that with their bionic hearing. If I said I knew Axel, if I said I knew what his dad did to him, would the cops make me try and negotiate over the phone?

"Y...Y-yeah...I knew...I mean I know the people in there."

"The police people say that people like you shouldn't be here 'cause you'll throw the whole operation off. Daddy's a policeman and he says that, sometimes, people die."

"Yeah...sometimes..." I patted him on the head and watched him sit down on the sidewalk, still playing around with his loose tooth. I wondered if his dad was working on this case right now. I could tell he was trying to be brave. I mean, he ran away from home and just happened to run into this scene. That's me, right there. Sometimes people die...what if that 'sometime' moment just happened to be this one?

Just then, I lost my thoughts when feedback from a megaphone started cracking beyond the caution tape. Everyone around me shook.

_"Arson, we know you're in the house. Listen to me, we don't want to force entry on you but if matters keep going like this we're going to have to find someway to keep you all safe. Look, I'm just a scared as you are right about now..."_

I guessed that the guy talking was the negotiator of the scene. What were these people thinking? They couldn't sort out that guy...he was just too crazy...and I barely even knew him. But the blood proved everything. If Arson was the slightest bit pushed, he'd snap and daggers would be flying everywhere. He could've...

I slapped my hand on my face and uselessly let out a sob. Perfect, I'm just hurting myself even more than before. This was _exactly_ what I wanted to prevent. Why did the stupid public have to be in this? If I had run here in the first place from the dance then I wouldn't have to be held back...what was I saying? Held back?

I removed my hand and glanced up at the house again. It still looked like it was miles away in the dark. No lights were on and all the curtains were pulled to cover up the windows. Arson's broken up silver SUV was parked with its front wheels over the sidewalk. That proved that he had been in a hurry. I looked back at the caution tape then at the officers around me with guns in their hands, pointing them directly toward the windows and doors...wait, windows?

_"...standoff can't be happening in this place, Arson. You help us, we'll help you out."_

The megaphone crackled again and was replaced with silence...only for a bit.

_Bang. _

xxXXxx

Just when I thought I had a plan, it had to be shot down and out of my head. A couple of women screamed and one guy pulled several of them to the side like some sort of big shot hero. The little boy behind me stood up and, shaking, clung to my right leg again and buried his face. Millions of police officers' heads turned to the door and, surprisingly, calmly gave out orders and handed out even more firearms.

"What's happening?" The boy asked me, whimpering.

I left my mouth open in shock. I couldn't have just heard a shot...I didn't. But I...I did. Even amongst the screams and commands, I could still hear that gunshot echoing down the street.

_Bang, bang, bang_...

It sounded like hundreds of shots. Shot after shot after shot. Was this hell?

The negotiator that had been talking on top of one of the SWAT trucks put the phone down and shook his head. What was _that_ supposed to mean? I was running out of time. If these useless excuses for cops couldn't do anything, then maybe I could. I was no cop, and I wasn't even armed but I could try to pull it off.

I constantly looked at the yellow tape ahead of me then at the house. Think, Roxas, think! Body, move. Head, think. Heart, at least _try_ to keep up with me. Windows...two in front one on top of the front door. Those were easy to be seen...faster. Think faster. Left, no...nothing there. Roof, no. No skylight, _nothing_.

I would have to think as I go. I eventually made the excuse that I had to get back home to the kid so he would let go of me. He did, said that he had to get back too since he didn't like running away, and ran off down the street. I watched him for literally two seconds before walking right up to the tape and, disregarding the words written on it, lifted it up a bit.

I looked around and no one had noticed me yet. If I ran forward, the cops would see me and probably arrest me. If I crept around behind cars, then I'd just waste time. It only took a few minutes to bleed out and die. No, don't die, Axel. _Don't fucking die._

It was right then that I noticed the fire escape's shadow from the right of the house. Right...it wasn't pointing to the ground. We were actually on that roof. We were actually _alone _in that house. Just thinking back to that night made my knees feel like failing. I forced them to stop shaking so much by locking them together. Keep going, you can do this.

Quickly, but not _too _quickly, I sped to the right and followed the direction the yellow tape was headed in. I eventually met the end where it was tied up to a street lamp only inches from the gate of the house. I looked up at the fire escape and, panting, wrote and sped read several plans in my head. Fire escape...ok...no one can see it...

_No one can see it_.

I snapped my head back up and felt my blood heat up. That was it!

_Bang, bang, bang_...those shots didn't sound close...they really were far away.

That was it...if they were far away then Arson wasn't even in the house at all and if he wasn't in the house, then neither were Axel and Riku. Shit, this was bad.

"No, no! They're not there, they're not inside!" I tried whispering but I managed to catch the attention of a cop that had been guarding the perimeter of the blocked area. He spun around and, when he saw me, started running toward me a bit. Cursing to myself, I grabbed he tape and slipped under it.

"Hey! Get-back-out-there! You'll get yourself killed!" The officer barked at me, grasping his gun. Go on, shoot me. You're the one that's gonna get killed.

I sighed roughly and took off toward the right side of the house, the officer coming right after me. But, when I got right under the fire escape, he stopped and quickly began running backwards back to his post.

_"We've got a situation..." _I heard the officer talking into his radio system.

_"What's it?" _A husky voice replied through the static.

_"A kid. Blonde teen. Probably a friend of the family. He snuck into the territory toward the backyard." _

_"...what is your position?" _

_"Right of the house. He's too far for me to go and catch him." _

_"10-4, copy that." _

_"What do I do about the kid?" _

_"There's nothing we can do about it ."_ The guy on the other set sounded pretty distressed. _"Tell the officers to start prepping up negotiations again."_

I slammed my back against the wall next to me and stared straight up at the sky where the fire escape looked like it was about to fall right on me. Now I was screwed...I just made myself a hostage.

Truthfully, I was scared out of my mind. So scared that, if someone had even talked to me right now, I would've jumped right out of my skin and died...so scared that if someone had a gun to my head, I would just stand there, pale and like ice. Everything around me stood perfectly still under the moon. What if something was in the dark watching me? Who would it be...?

Why wasn't I moving? Axel was somewhere and I sure as hell knew it. The fire escape stared to sway a bit and creaked from this sudden wind that blew past. Ok, so I knew that he wasn't in the house. Arson must've taken _that_ escape from Axel's window to the roof then found some way to get...to get...

This was too hard. Frustrated, I tried pushing my back further into the wall, hoping that, somehow, I could magically push myself through and into the house. I tightly shut my eyes and stared at my shoes. I felt like crying again. How many times did I have to tell myself that crying wouldn't help anything? Just standing here wasn't helping either. Someone could be dead by now.

I re-opened my eyes and slowly looked to my left where the darkness seemed to go on forever. I didn't know what was there and I wasn't sure if I wanted to know at all. I pushed away from the wall and took a single step toward the darkness. For some reason, I felt like I was being pulled in. I fisted my hand and kicked off from the ground, sprinting further...further...

Gone.

xxXXxx

Perfect. Everything was too dark to see, even with my eyes getting used to darkness already. Why couldn't the moon decide to play hide-and-seek some other time? Why couldn't the clouds decide to smoke up the sky in the morning? Each time I nearly tripped over my own steps, I could literally hear the darkness laughing at me.

_Come on, boy. Give it up._ _Go any further and you'll end up just like the others inside me._

"Shut up!" I half screamed and slapped a hand over my mouth. I couldn't have outbursts around here, knowing that it only took a second for a bullet to be fired. When the darkness seemed to listen to me, I went on walking clumsily, dragging my feet through piles of dead leaves and mud. Somewhere to my left I heard more chattering from the police and SWAT. I tried to cancel them out. I was on my own now.

_"Don't move."_

Hastily, I looked around me in all directions and felt my heart rate double. Even my ring felt like it had a pulse of its own. That whole time I kept thinking that I was caught.

_"Sorry..."_

_"You do that again, it'll be over, got it?" _

Wait...I knew that voice. I actually _recognized_ something in this mess. Now all I had to do was figure out where it had come from. I tried painting a face in my head and came up with nothing. He was just talking too quietly. Come on, talk again...but he didn't. That's all I had: the people talking were guys.

_"Do you want those people to hurt you? Do you want them to take you away?" _

That voice...the way it made my head lose track of thoughts and made my body feel unconscious...that had been Arson talking. I straightened up and paced around, keeping my footsteps small so I wouldn't bring attention to myself from the noise. Where, where?

_"'Cause they can take you away and hurt you just like that. Get it?"_

_"Y-yes..." _

I was getting closer to them. I could hear it in their voices. I still couldn't make out who the other one talking was since they were whispering so much. I wished I had brought a flashlight with me. God, why couldn't I have kept a close hold on Axel when the slow song ended? Then maybe I'd be with him right now. I wouldn't care if I was a hostage, myself. Separation _killed_ me.

Right when I had choked on a few sobs, I heard some rustling ahead of me and I stopped dead. Just ahead of me I saw a faint light glowing from the ground. From what I could see, there were a couple of bushes and boulders surrounding the area that the light touched. Occasionally the light would flicker on and off. I didn't have much time and neither did Axel or Riku. Don't turn off, please don't. It has to be them...

Even though I wanted to break into a run right then and there, I remembered that Arson was still involved here and maintained a steady pace, keeping my body low to the ground and my steps as soft as if I were walking on thin ice. I swallowed hard and felt sweat beading on the back of my neck and atop my forehead. Almost...

1, 2, 3...step after step after step. I was soon close enough for the lightest glow from the light to touch the tip of my shoes. I swallowed again; that's how nervous I was. Any second now I could meet death straight in the face. Taking in a deep breath, I couldn't hold it any longer. I forced my whole leg into the light then my whole body. I was right under the spotlight.

All around me stank of beer and some rusty old cologne. Ahead of me were two bushes that were large enough to hide a whole person inside. Only two steps ahead was a huge boulder that came high enough to my chest and atop it was a yellow pocket flashlight that clearly was seconds from burning out. I took a single step back and, when I did, flinched when I heard more rustling to my right.

_"Who's...? No, you shouldn't be here."_ That voice. I couldn't mistake that for anyone else's. My heartbeat quicken as well as my panting. My eyesight became blurry and all I could do was stare at these two hazy green eyes wandering through the dark: tired and slowly slipping away.

"Oh, man..." I breathed, disbelievingly, and rushed over to where I saw him. I completely ignored the fact that I was supposed to be quiet and let the leaves rustle underneath me. I knelt down on the ground and quickly let my hands wander forward until I was able to feel something touching them. I knew it was him. "A...Axel...!" I gasped and clung to him weakly. If I tightened it, I was afraid he would feel hurt. What if he already was?

"Ro...Roxas?" He asked as if I had been dead for years and suddenly came back to life. "What're you _doing_ here? Don't stay here! Don't...stay..."

"No! _You're _the one that shouldn't be here. What happened? Why're you here? Where's Riku? Where's your dad? God, Axel, _you shouldn't be here!_" I wasn't about to let him go. If the moon wanted to come out, now was the time. I had to see Axel's face. I had to know if he was hurt. Maybe his dad had shot that bullet at him and it just grazed him. He could be bleeding right now...

Shaking, I looked up and moved closer, letting my body try and warm him up. I grabbed one of his hands and felt it for a steady pulse even though I knew he wasn't dead. I just wanted to prove that he wasn't. "Are you ok?" I asked.

There was a steady silence after that. I could tell just by looking at Axel's eyes that he was just about ready to pass out from some sort of shock. He kept staring down at me, eyes wide and body giving off little twitches every now and then. This wasn't human. This had to be the first time in my life that I saw him so shaken up...the first time that he appeared a lot _smaller_ than me. His eyes told me everything.

"Y...Yeah...but...Riku..." He stopped.

"Riku? What about him? What's wrong?"

"He's right there," I felt his hand that I was holding move toward his right side. "Ar...son fired a shot and it just grazed his shoulder. Cut him...pretty deep."

"I-It's ok...just calm down..." I tried consoling him somehow but I just ended making myself feel scared for my life as well as Riku's. I was surprised to see that Axel hadn't been tied down by anything from what I felt so far. I rubbed his wrist just to double check and came up with something warm and thick...blood?

Axel flinched when I touched it but didn't pull back.

"Damn it," I cursed and slapped the ground.

"He gashed my wrist a little with some broken glass..." I expected him to at least _try_ to laugh, even chuckle. But he didn't. He just sat there and seemed to lose his ability to breathe each passing second. I had to get them out of here...but where was Arson? I was too petrified to look over my shoulder.

"What happened?" I repeated, trying to wipe Axel's blood off my fingers. I really didn't like the feeling of it but I had to find someway for it to stop.

He scoffed lightly and I heard him swallow hard. "When the power went out...you know, back at the dance, I tried getting out of the locker room but that was the last thing I could remember." I had to bring my face in so close to him so I could hear his voice.

"I've gotta get you outta here...Riku too," I whispered demandingly and felt around at my left to where Axel said Riku would be. I ended up meeting with mud and more leaves before I felt something brush with my fingers. I looked up hastily and moved in closer, squinting my eyes to see if I could make out at least an outline of the person. "Riku?" I whispered. When there was no reply, I got on my knees and placed both hands on what I thought was his chest. At least he's breathing...

_"You found him, Roxas?"_ I heard Axel say to me from behind.

"Yeah. Listen, Axel, the cops don't know you guys are back here. They think you're all inside the house. You _need_ to get to the front of the house and run. I'll take care of..."

_"Roxas!"_

"Huh?" I turned away from the ground and looked behind me, searching around for Axel's eyes. I came up empty and instantly twisted my whole body back around. This was like a horror film brought to life.

_"Roxas, get the hell out of here! Go!"_

"Axel, where are you?!"

_"Don't even try it, boy."_

I felt my heart skip a beat; even more than one beat. Right when I heard the voice change into something else, I swore that I could've died for a mere two seconds. I kept my breathing into helpless little puffs and waited...I didn't know where I was or where everyone else had gone. Before I knew it, I started silently crying. I couldn't even make a sound. My mouth was just left open while my eyes were locked wide.

"What're you doing sneaking up this late at night, hm? Trying to play the hero?"

I felt an iceball get stuck in my throat so I couldn't speak. My tears stung my lips and slipped down my shirt to touch my necklace. I shivered and kept on staring straight ahead. He sounded like he was everywhere around me.

"What kind of slipknot hero gets himself caught in the act? Look at yourself! You're no hero; you're a villain to me, a kidnapper." The way he was speaking came out partially slurred. Even so, he could talk straight and clear...just my luck.

_"Dad..."_

I gasped and shot my head to the right. "Riku?"

"Don't move!" Arson barked and I instantly heard a twigs being snapped right in front of me. The ground beside me shook and my insides gave a huge twist. Riku didn't answer. He had every reason not to. "Look, Riku, I'm not about to make another shot on you. But you force me to do it. You could be a free guy right now outside with the cops trying to save your brother. But _no_. You had to be another stupid hero and attempt to stop me from taking him! No one's a hero!" Was this man insane? What did he want? What was his motive for taking his own kids hostage? I wanted to ask but I couldn't. That stupid iceball wasn't melting and I was choking on tears.

"And you..." I kept my head turned away when he said it. "Why're you here?" Why're _you_? That's what I wanted to ask. "You've just made yourself into a hostage, did you know that? I bet this is just a suicide attempt, isn't it? Got tired of spending your days fucking with Axel?"

I shuddered like a blow had just been sent past my face. If this was what this whole thing was about, then I deserved to be under Arson's death stare. I deserved to be here instead of Axel and Riku.

"Listen, if I let you leave tell those goddamn cops outside my house that I've got demands. Tell them all that I want to be repaid for the money taken from me as well as the money I haven't received from Riku. I've been waiting for years, treating this kid and spoiling him crazy and I still haven't gotten one, not one stinking piece of munny from the damn bank!"

Repaid? Someone owed him money? As if he read my mind, Arson answered right after I thought it.

"I leave with Riku for a lousy weekend and I come back with at least 2,000 grand missing from my bank. I did a background check and I ended up seeing that someone's been messing around with my savings: _buying jewelry_."

Jewelry? He couldn't have meant...I looked down at my shirt very slowly and placed a hand over my chest where the ring was hiding in the darkness. Axel, what did you do? What did you do? It's not worth it!

"Now I want that money back but _even more added on_. Two million. That's what I need. That's what they _owe_ me. Tell them that if I don't get it, I'll kill one and slash the other. Easy as that. You're a smart kid, right? Got yourself into the backyard; something that the police couldn't figure out and still haven't. You can tell them."

I didn't answer and went on crying, occasionally letting out one or two sobs. I sniffled and, no matter how hard I tried to swallow it down, my throat was still blocked.

_"Arson, I'm going to say this again. We are running out of time. It's either you promise to come out with the boys unharmed or we have to force entry. If you can hear me I'm gonna need you to show me someway and let me know what you've decided on."_

"Hear that?" Arson asked, his voice lowering, "Not much time. You do this for me I'll let you and Riku go, alright?"

Just Riku and me...that wasn't enough. Not _nearly_ enough. It would be good that Riku would be free but what about his _real _son? What would happen to Axel? I wasn't about to leave him here. I wasn't about to keep things unknown again. Slowly, the iceball melted and I began glowering at Arson with burning eyes.

"Where is Axel?" I asked, my voice shaking only a bit. Don't show you're afraid, Roxas.

"He's not a concern to you, kid. Shake it off and do what I say."

"Where is he?" I started unintentionally raising my voice. If Riku was allowed to speak, I knew he would tell me I was stupid. And I admit I_ was_ being stupid. Forget the rules. Rule number 2: Rules were meant to be broken.

"You don't get it, do you?"

"No," After that, I let my body do what it wanted to do. For once, it seemed like both my body and mind were cooperating. I shot up from the ground and ran forward until I felt my body crash into another. "YOU'RE THE ONE THAT DOESN'T GET IT!"

Both of us fell to the ground and started up a brawl. It didn't last long because I was instantly pushed off and was sent rolling across the ground. I pushed up and heard footsteps hurrying ahead of me as well as behind me.

_"Roxas!"_

"Zexion?" I asked to the ground and nearly went blind when my eyes met with this sharp white light in my face. The footsteps behind me stopped when the light got closer. When my vision became less blurry, I saw Zexion running toward me with a flashlight in his hand. And then there were 4...

"Roxas, don't move, you'll get yourself hurt!"

"Zex..." I didn't finish since I heard more running coming up behind me. I forced myself up, stumbled to the side, and ran off in a zig-zag line. I didn't want to run too far away. I stopped and turned back around until I was running beside Zexion.

He turned his head to me and shined the flashlight ahead at Arson. Now in plain sight, I could see just how beat up the guy looked. His green eyes were bloodshot and all over his body were dead leaves. On his right side was a gun holder and in it, a black caliber.

"Should've listened, kid!" Arson yelled and shot away from the flashlight and into the shadows to our right. Zexion, panting crazily, made the light follow Arson's move. We soon found him...gun in one hand, Axel in the other. No.

xxXXxx

"Axel!" I screamed and felt myself crying all over again. My knees wobbled each time I cried harder but I didn't want to collapse. I clenched my teeth and fists, trying to get myself together. Even though my sight was cloudy, I could still see the jet black sheen of the gun being pressed right into the side of Axel's neck. I could still see Axel with his eyes widened while staring at me and his hands uselessly gripping his dad's arms that were being coiled securely around his shoulders. Arson had Axel in a firm hold and managed to get him to stand beside him. He kept one finger on the trigger and it was gently tapping it.

"Nnh..." Axel whined and was immediately shut up when Arson cocked the gun. He started hyperventilating.

"Stop it!" I yelled again when I heard the gun click.

"Careful, Roxas," Zexion said, his voice collected but still shaken pretty badly.

"Don't push me. I told you to get out there and tell them my demands. You don't, I'll shoot."

"Roxas, get out of here. I'm not gonna let you get..."

"Can it," Arson swiftly demanded and pushed the tip of the gun deeper into Axel's skin. Axel just looked right at me, shifting his feet into the ground below. I could see Riku lying down behind them, holding one of his arms to stop some pretty serious bleeding. He too was staring right at me. I couldn't take this.

"Roxas," Zexion started, putting the flashlight in his other hand. "Do what he says."

"What?" I turned to him then back at Axel.

"You heard me, now do it. You've already come this far but you'll have to stretch further. If you don't the chances of all of us staying alive are slim. Isn't that right, Arson?" He said the last part harshly.

"Always knew you were smart, kid." Arson smirked and went on tapping the trigger. I...I...fine.

I took one step backward, still staring at the two of them, and was just about to run back before I felt something hard underneath my foot. I stared down and let some light reveal a bit of metal sticking out from under the leaves. I carefully knelt down and brushed the leaves away before pulling out a small dagger.

"Roxas, _please_," Zexion whispered but I didn't listen. I stood upright again and turned the knife in my hand, examining the blood stains spread across it. When I thought about it, I remembered seeing Axel with a bandage that could barely cover up a cut on his cheek. This had been the knife used, huh?

Hands tingling, I tightened my grasp around the knife and, ignoring Zexion and Axel's sudden screams, shot toward Arson like his own bullet. It all happened so fast that I could barely keep track of the events. All I could remember was a scream of pain...more like three of them but only one really stood out.

I stepped back.

_Bang_.

I fell back and heard thousands of people yelling out to me. Only one really stood out.

_"Roxas! No, ROXAS! ROXAS!!" _Sometimes, it pays to be stupid...

* * *

**and that, my friends, is the truth. it DOES pay to be stupid sometimes...but is it really worth it in this case? oooo...secret, secret. cough, cough. XP sorry if i went on and on about depressing things again. and i'm sorry about my OC, arson! he's too crazy for my taste...eh?**

**i'd better sleep now. i'm getting dizzy! -spins-**

**oh, i hope i don't get nightmares. DX i'm hoping that the next chapter will be a little less...BOO. haha. XD**

**_boom boom baby! -shot- XP  
kokoro77_**


	28. Chapter Twenty Eight: Mommy

**Author's note: yay, it's finally break! no school for days! -dances- hee, i'm gonna style my axel wig tomorrow with the sharpie method i learned. -nod nod- i just hope i don't make it look like a bleeding animal...wah! i just scared myself! -hides in corner with sharpies- DX**

**i've been listening to two songs for hours while i typed this chapter. think of this chapter as a roller coaster of emotions...sorry if you throw up along the ride. XP my head already did and the product was this monster of a chapter...! yay? i'm sorry! i had to make the connections and the only way to do that was to make the chapter longer. DX**

**well, here's mommy? who is mommy anyway? -waves- hooray! congrats sex ed! you've reached over 700 reviews! -throws a party- XDD thanks so much to all you guys! and happy birthday to this story in a few months! woo! another party!! i think?? enough rambling, no? ok! -runs off to write the goodbye- XD;**

* * *

Chapter Twenty Eight: "Mommy"

I had this dream once...it was really long time ago that it happened. I got in a huge fight with mom because I was arguing with a boy at school. After I locked myself up in my room, I didn't want to come out for what felt like days. Mom tried to make me come out but I wouldn't, I couldn't. It wasn't because my lock was stuck; it was because I was _afraid_ to.

In the dream, I was in a place I didn't wanna be in. I kept finding a corner to run to and hide. I ended up falling asleep then waking back up in some...place. I didn't know where and I didn't know if I wanted to be there or not. Something about that place froze me until something, _someone_ told me I was somewhere perfect...that I wouldn't have to be afraid to walk.

When I woke up, I finally went up to mom and she asked me where I had been for the past hour. I told her I was on an island. She just laughed about it.

That was the first time I thought I had said something stupid; that maybe talking about your loves and dreams was pointless if no one would listen to them and would just laugh about it. Ever since, I've kept most of my feelings inside. Before I knew it, I was unintentionally being stupid and I changed completely.

Ever since I met him...I forgot that I was stupid. I forgot that that had even been a rule. Sure, I occasionally thought that I was going stupid things. But he didn't care. Why? I didn't know why. Maybe I'll find out...that all depends on if we're alive to hear it...

xxXXxx

I wasn't sure why I thought back to that dream in the last few seconds I was falling on the ground. It was like the most random thing that could've happened: you're caught up in a brawl...knives, guns, fists, everything's there. Next thing you know, you hear a shot, hundreds of them, and hear screams, millions of them. After that, you fall and the only thing you can think about is why the world suddenly got so quiet. Why is it that there's only one voice that can get into your head somehow and bring back a memory...at least for me?

I hit the ground like something tossed overboard. Now this was really the part where I felt dead. That's it, no more me. No more school, no more friends, no more mom, no more Sora, and worst of all, _no more Axel._

Just thinking about that, I shook my legs around violently and went on clutching my left arm. I could feel something warm staining my hands. As for my arm, nothing. Absolute: _nothing_. I didn't like feeling that way.

I looked up to the sky and tried to see if there was anyone on top of me. When I came up empty, I panicked a bit and knelt down on both knees. I looked behind me and noticed that Zexion's flashlight had gone rolling along the ground. At first I thought he ran off but...that's not a Zexion thing to do, right? Man, I wish it was, I wish it was.

I winced through clenched teeth and forced myself to crawl through the mud to reach out and grab the flashlight. I eventually snatched it up and tried holding it in my bloody right hand. Breathing heavily, I shot the light through the dark and pointed it behind me.

"Roxas!"

"Riku!" I yelled when I saw him attempting to get on his feet. He kept stumbling over and eventually gave up, pushing all his weight onto a boulder while pressing his fingers into his wounded arm. He stared at me painfully and I could tell he couldn't take this for more than a second without crying.

"Hold up, I'll be right..." I paused and left my left arm limp at my side. It was burning and dripping insanely. "Where's your dad?" No, no more fighting...please no.

"You...ah...there, right there!" He raised his voice when he made himself pry his fingers away from his arm to point to my left. Quickly, but nervously, I shined he light on the ground to my left and nearly fell back again when I saw what I just did. Arson was just laying there in the dirt, face down and black shotgun loosely being held in his hand. I wasn't sure what exactly had happened to him but, by the looks of it, he must've been hurt pretty badly.

Who else...? Tightening my grip on the flashlight, I wasn't even sure if I wanted to know the answer to that question...but I had to.

I pictured what exactly Arson was doing before he made that shot. Right, Axel was with him...that's all I could remember. Damn it, what else? When you're caught up in hell, it's hard to remember what pain you went through even though it was pretty graphic to begin with.

Left...Right. I frantically searched around where Arson was face down and felt like crushing the flashlight into pieces when I came up with nothing. I sniffled and realized that I was still sobbing without even knowing it. The feeling of being scared wasn't over yet and I hated it.

_"Riku...wh-what..."_

"Roxas! Over here! He's over here!"

In a sudden burst of energy, I spun around again and started racing back to where I had first seen Riku up against the boulder. I let the light act as my trail and soon let it lead me straight to him. I felt like letting another bullet pass me...more like pierce me.

"Oh, god. Don't move, ok?" Completely forgetting my own pain and blood loss, I dragged my feet across the leaves and literally flung myself right on top of Axel. He was just laying there, his chest moving heavily when he tried to get some air inside him. His breathing kept coming out in broken pauses.

"It...sorta...hurts," He said.

"I pulled myself up and stared down at him, obsessively taking hold of his head and holding it in my arms. This was like a soap opera moment coming to life. Mom would live for this.

"Where? What hurts?" I asked, shining the flashlight over Axel's lower body. It didn't take too long before I saw what looked like gallons of red coming out of his right hip. And what exactly was he doing _laughing_ about it? I stared at him and let my hands go about touching his face. That's how frantic I was about this whole situation.

"He...get you?" He coughed lightly, failing to scoff correctly. I wished he could've.

"Don't worry about me. The cops should be getting over here after hearing all those shots...right, Riku? They should be coming, right?"

"Yeah..." I heard Riku reply breathlessly. We didn't have much time.

"Good. Hear that? I'm not gonna let you pass out on me, got it?" I tried sounding stubborn but inside my head it sounded more like bleak whining.

Axel scoffed up at me and managed a partial smirk. He smirked at me, he smirked at me! My insides started getting excited but when they did, I felt a bit more blood spilling out of me. "Got it..."

"Take it easy. What're you doing talking to me?"

"Heh...sh-shut up, Roxas." He squirmed slightly but I held him closer to me to get him to stop. If he moved around too much he'd just open the wound. Judging by how much blood he was losing compared to me, I would have to say that he actually had a bullet _in_ him whereas I just got grazed. Bad, bad, bad...

I suddenly felt like picking up Arson's gun and sending tons of rounds into his thick skull. But I couldn't. I was too good of a person to kill. Even though Arson was a villain in my book, he didn't deserve pain. I let the thought drift away and sat waiting forever...painful, bloody forever.

"Roxas, where's Zexion?" Riku suddenly broke the silence. I wished he didn't. I was just getting into feeling Axel breathing next to me.

I looked up and shined the light ahead of me. No, he couldn't be there. He must've gotten the police or something...shit.

The light fell crept over the leaves and soon swept over the body of Zexion who was face up with his eyes closed. He had a line of blood coming from the corner of his mouth and his stomach was covered in nothing but red. I was about to stand up and check him before I remembered I was tending to Axel.

"Zex! Zexion, can you hear me?! Are you ok?!"

He didn't say anything and went on facing my way. This was as helpful as talking to a dead person...no, Roxas, don't think dead. Zexion-isn't-dead.

"Zex..." I heard Axel whimper below me and I instantly broke down, dropping my forehead atop Axel's. I squeezed my eyes shut, not letting more tears to pass. For a while, I thought about kissing him right then and there, sort of as a farewell if someone _did_ leave. I didn't do it and saved it for a better time.

"I'm scared, Axel...I can't take this! I'm not gonna let people die! I shouldn't have...I shouldn't have wandered off at the dance."

"It's not your fault, ok?" Axel whispered to me.

"Why does it feel like it is? I'm scared..."

"It's ok. You can be..."

I started getting light headed and figured it was because I had my head down for so long. Or maybe it was from all the buckets I cried out. But I didn't want to pull my head away from Axel so I just kept it there, feeling like I could just magically wake up from this nightmare. Now this was a real nightmare.

_"Son? Son? Boys, we've got one down." _

_"Copy that, one down. Where're the others?" _

Even though my eyes were shut, a sharp light pushed through them and hovered around like a halo. I didn't look up and kept frozen, the numbness from my arm suddenly spreading through my whole body. My head kept getting lighter and lighter and voices got thinner and thinner...keep breathing...keep breathing, _all of you guys._

_"Son? Are you awake? Alright, help me...him...ambulance..." _

_"Blood...repeat...loss...a lot. At least five...repeat...five down." _

Five...

_"Correction...four..."_

Even as I fully passed out, I didn't need a repeat on that last word.

xxXXxx

_"...he says that, sometimes, people die." _

_"Yeah...sometimes they do." _

_"Do you know the people in there? Mommy says that man's a monster..." _

_"Yeah. I know them. I guess you could say he's a monster...but I don't really know him. I can't call him a...a monster." _

_"He's not letting them out..." _

_"What? Who, who's he not letting out?" _

_"Roxas, if you ask me, you should do what you want...then maybe he'll let them out, ok? Daddy says that."_

Dad? That little kid...just appeared out of nowhere...left without saying goodbye...just like dad.

When I woke up, the first thing that popped into mind was that little kid. He just showed up in my face and left, saying that I let 'them' out. I felt dizzy and nauseous when I stared up at the sky...but it wasn't even the sky. It was a white ceiling. Was this heaven? Oh, crap.

I wanted to sit up but I couldn't since my back was too lazy to answer to me. I groaned and suddenly winced when I felt and pang on my left arm. Right there, all the memories came back to me in a random spin. I stared at my arm, now wrapped in layers of white bandages starting from the bottom of my shoulder to the top of my wrist.

I was still in the same clothes I had been in since last night except I was missing a left sleeve. So much for dressing for the occasion. There goes mom's twenty bucks.

Mom? Wait, mom! I looked to my right then at the foot of the bed I was lying in. There was mom, sitting in a floral couch with her head resting on her hand. Her eyes were drooping and she was failing to hold onto a cup of coffee that looked like it had gone cold hours ago. She didn't even seem to notice that I was awake.

Beside her was Sora. He was asleep with his head and body almost fully covered in blankets. Mom didn't even seem to care that Sora was taking up the entire couch space. Judging by the looks of their frizzed out hair and wrinkled clothes, I figured that they must've been here for a long time. Exactly how long had I been out?

"M-mom?" I croaked and coughed. I could still taste the saltiness of my tears from when I swallowed down that iceball.

In a split second, mom looked up from the floor and her eyes beamed up at me. "Roxas...oh, honey, are you ok?" I could tell that she was excited and all even though her voice was collect. She put the coffee cup on the ground and rushed to my bedside. She pulled up a chair, kissed me on the forehead and sat down, keeping both hands on my wounded arm.

"Why did you go off like that, honey?" She asked.

I sighed and, embarrassed, looked to the ceiling. "I had...I had someone to look out for."

"As soon as I got the call I checked your room and saw you jumped out the window. Honey, you have to leave those sorts of things to the police!"

"They weren't doing their job..." I replied and looked back at her droopy eyes. My own widened a bit when I remembered what the police had been 'doing'. I tried sitting up but only managed to shuffle up a few centimeters. "Mom," I started. "Where's Axel?"

She blankly looked at me and, for a second, I thought she was going to break me some bad news. I felt my heart rate starting up again but it quickly eased when she said, "Right over here, behind me."

She moved her shoulder to the side for me to see a bed at my left with green hospital curtains partially closing it off. This whole time he was right here and I didn't even notice. For a minute, I thought I had fallen asleep again. Axel had his face turned slightly in the other direction and he had his eyes closed. I looked at his chest and saw that it was still moving which meant he was still breathing. I gave off a sigh of relief inside. He didn't have his shirt on. What replaced it were several bandages that wrapped around his stomach. Over his right hip was a little blotch of red blood. I cringed when I saw it.

"Roxas, it's ok...he'll be ok," mom cooed and started stroking my head.

What? Oh, great, I was probably tearing up again. I blinked and, sure enough, a stray tear fell from my eyelash. I rubbed my eyes vigorously with my free arm and went on staring at Axel's bed. "Really?"

She nodded and gently patted my arm. "Riku too."

"Is he here?"

"He's in another room. They're just finishing up on him."

"And Zexion? What about him? Is he ok?"

She paused to think for a moment and sighed lightly. She looked at the door then back to me before saying, "He's lucky."

"Lucky?"

"Mm-hm. When they got to him at the house he had bled out so much that it was almost impossible to stop. The doctor's couldn't find a pulse on him."

So that's why I heard someone say that there were only four of us. They must've eliminated Zexion because he was presumed dead. "Where is he?"

"In another room all on his own. His mom and dad are already there watching out for him. The doctor's say that he got shot in the stomach. Poor thing. Getting shot there causes extreme internal bleeding. Any longer of a wait and he wouldn't be here."

I waited and thought back. I couldn't believe I was about to say it...but I had to. "And...Arson?"

Mom's eyes sparked when I said his name. She bit the corner of her lower lip and scooted her chair closer to me. "The doctor's said that they had to pull out a short kitchen knife from his chest."

"Is he..."

"He's alright," She interrupted. I could tell she didn't like getting on the topic of a killer. "He's just going to take a long while to recover. That wound was so deep that they had to widen it just to find the knife."

I shuddered and my nausea started getting worse. I laid my head back on the pillow and coughed. "Ok..." I turned back to look at Axel lying down across from me. Even injured he looked perfect. I wondered what I was going to tell mom if she asked me why I wanted to save Axel. If I was just any old friend then I might not have gone. Zexion just went because he was like that. What would I answer?

"Mom," I said, hesitantly.

"Yes?" She kept petting me. Meow, much?

"I...uhm, I've got something to..."

_"Nozomi?"_

Mom looked up from the bed and stopped petting me. I didn't look away to see who had come in. My head hurt too much. That and I couldn't look away from Axel. I had to make sure he was really ok.

"Yes?" Mom answered.

_"I'll need to see you about some papers to fill out. Do you have a minute?"_

"I'll be right there." She turned her head, whipping her ponytail in my face when she did, and said, "Honey, I'm going to be right back, ok? You stay right here and wake Sora up if you feel anything, ok?"

I nodded weakly and watched her slip out of the chair and out of sight. When I heard the door close, I pushed the sheets away from my body for a bit and tried to sit up. I just ended up making myself feel like I could throw up. I choked and bent my head far enough until I was facing the bed sheets in my lap.

"Probably gave me medicine..." I groaned and looked back over to my left. I had to get up from this bed somehow without it having to hurt to do it. I let my foot finish waking up before letting my legs dangle over the side of the bed. Quietly, so I wouldn't wake Sora up, I placed one foot on the green tile then the other. Good, they were both still sleeping.

From there, I shuffled my feet across the tile and over to Axel's bed side. I carried the chair mom had been sitting in with me, with on hand 'cause it stung to use both arms, and propped it down when I was close enough. I slowly slipped into it and cradled my arm in my lap, letting my eyes look over Axel now that I had a better look at him.

"You should be safe now," I said, wondering how in the world Axel could even hear me. The guy was conked out. I remembered the last time I was in the hospital with Axel. That time wasn't as fatal as this one but, regardless, I was still scared and worried enough to be his mother. And, that time, he was actually awake when I talked to him.

Both of his eyes twitched but he didn't wake up. I sighed and wiped my eyes off again. "This has probably been the one time in my life that I've cried this much, you know?" Unintentionally, I reached forward with my wounded arm and sort of grabbed his right hand. I squeezed it lightly and didn't realize that I even touched him until I felt my wound spike me. I was about to pull back from pain before I felt a squeeze back, a small one.

"Huh?" I gasped and my eyes crossed over to Axel's face. His eyes twitched again before they opened up half way, looking off into space. He blinked, took a glimpse around the room then carefully turned his head and saw me. The squeeze tightened right then.

"Hey, hero," He muttered half into the pillow. He looked pretty groggy. Medicine must've gotten him too.

I smiled a small smile and, with worried eyes, looked at his bandaged stomach. "I'm no hero."

"Sure. Typical Roxas, huh?" He said sarcastically and tried to move his body toward me but failed to. He ended up letting out light breaths when he flopped his head back on the pillow. "Ouch..."

"Will you quit it?" I snapped, watching out for blood spills. "You'll open the wound up!"

"Hey, what'd I say about pain again?"

I thought it over for a second...right, when someone feels pain, they know for sure they're alive. Without that feeling, they're as good as dead. I sighed and sniffled once.

"Fine...how're you feeling?" I brought up.

"Kinda groggy. Nurses must've gave each of us injections since the wounds were so deep...you? What about you?" He let go of my hand as if it hurt too much to hold any longer.

I looked over at my bandage and shrugged. "Hurts. But...you know, it's over, right?"

Axel forced a weak smile up at me and paused. Instantly, his smile started fading and he kept looking behind me to the door. "...how 'bout everyone else? Riku? Zex?"

"Mom told me that Riku's ok. He just got a graze like I did from one of your dad's bullets. Zexion's in his own room. Mom said that the doctors did the best they could on him 'cause he was supposed to be dead..."

"Dead? Why? Is he ok? Ah..." He tried sitting up but ended up mashed back into the mattress, hissing in pain.

"Hey!" I fluffed up his pillow and sat back down, holding his shoulder. I felt like his personal nurse. "He's ok, alright? They just took a while to find his pulse. He's ok, he's ok." It made sense why Axel would be so worried about Zexion. Zex was literally like a parent to him...like a parent he never had.

"Ok...ok," He said and his eyes kept moving from one place to another. I could tell there was something on his mind. It wasn't like him to hold back. God I missed him. Last night felt like days to me. It could've been something taken right out of a movie. I tried picturing myself as some makeshift James Bond...more like Axel. He's more manipulative than I am. All the guy has to say is "Bond, James Bond" and, boom, the guy has his woman. Yeah...total Axel.

"Your dad too...mom said that he's ok." I said that out of random even though I knew that Axel probably didn't need to know. I crossed my arms on the edge of the bed and laid my head down on them even if it did hurt a little.

There was another dreary pause between the both of us that left me hanging by a thread. Did I say something wrong?

"Yeah. That's good too. Roxas?"

"Hm?" I looked up partially from my arms.

"I'm...sorry; about what happened. I shouldn't have left you at the dance all worried like that. And at my house too. I got you pretty riled up enough to stab dad straight in the chest." He managed a scoff. It sort of made me sick that I really _stabbed_ Arson. My fingers began tingling when I pictured blood staining my hands.

"It's not your fault...it's no ones fault. Things happen all on their own I guess."

"Yeah...pretty stupid things happen. But it pays to act like that...listen..."

I looked up some more from the bed and rested my chin over my hands. I stared at Axel in the corner of my eye and tried my best not to doze off. He was looking straight at me and something about the way he was going about doing it made me twitch. It sort of reminded me of the time we first met...just him staring down at me as if he planned on melting me.

"I guess it paid off. Right when you stabbed him, the gun went off and grazed your arm. Arson aimed for you again but, y'know, his hold on me pretty much loosened up..."

So, that bullet that grazed me must've hit Zexion instead. I wanted to check up on him too when I got the chance. Hopefully he'd forgive me for standing where I had been. But wait, what did Axel mean by Arson aiming for me again? I waited.

"...I got away from him and got in the way of the second shot and you. So..." He raised an eyebrow at me and smiled like the devil, "you're welcome."

I partly dropped my mouth open and, guiltily, stared down at the bed, burying half of my face into my folded arms. My eyesight blurred but I wasn't gonna cry. I kept the tears back by not blinking. I wasn't sure if I should go along with the 'joke' and say thanks.

xxXXxx

The rest of that day went by like time slowed for ages. When I didn't say anything about Axel taking a shot for me, he changed the subject about what he remembered. He said when he let go of me in the locker room at the dance, he sort of walked to the back of the room and ended up getting snagged onto something. The last thing he knew, he was knocked out and woke up in his house on the living room couch. Riku was trying to reason with their dad about _something_ but when Arson wouldn't give up, Riku ended up getting twapped upside the head and knocked out. They were both dragged outside and forced to shut up or he'd hurt them.

Mom came back in the room and saw that I got up. She literally flew across the room and pushed me back into bed, stuffing the sheets around me like I was a burrito. Sora woke up sometime later and started talking to me again, constantly asking me questions and yapping on and on about what Riku told him. Mom started giggling at some of the exaggerations Sora put in. I looked over to the left and saw that Axel was staring at all of us. He looked pretty lonely...almost.

Riku came into our room with a sling around his right arm. He said that the doctor's were gonna let the three of us out within the next 24 hours and that the other two, Arson and Zexion, should be released within the next couple of weeks.

Great, another empty desk at school.

The night before we were going to be released from the hospital, I found it hard to sleep. Mom and Sora were both out like a light and Axel, he kept waking up every now and then, asking me what time it was. I could tell he was eager to leave.

It was finally Tuesday. We had been in the hospital for nearly three days. I was finally going home...as for the other two...

"Hey, Riku," I said while Riku struggled to zip up his backpack. I was sitting on the couch and Axel was in the bathroom attempting to pull a shirt over his head.

"Yeah?" He asked over his shoulder.

"Where're...uhm...where are you and Axel gonna stay? You can't just live on your own."

Riku stopped tugging on the zipper and stared to the left, drawing a blank 'uhm'. He straightened up and scratched his head. "You know...I..."

_"Oh, dear, don't force yourself. Here, let me do it."_

We both looked up from the ground and saw the bathroom door being pushed open. Apparently, mom had been spying at Axel through the crack in the door while he was changing...guess peeping runs in the family.

She slipped inside, grabbed the bottom of Axel's polo and pulled it down over his bandaged up stomach. I watched him stare at her as if she was some sort of angel. That was weird...it's like he's never seen a woman before.

"There, now don't worry about this stuff, ok? I'll take care of it." She gently tapped Axel's arm and sent him outside for her to gather up his things in the bathroom. I blushed a bit and saw Axel do the same. Riku just smirked.

"Everything's gonna get better, alright?" Riku said, patting Axel lightly on the back.

Axel blinked and looked at me when he said, "Yeah. Especially since Roxas and I are roommates now."

Riku laughed so hard that there were tears welling up in his eyes. I pretended I didn't take that the wrong way.

xxXXxx

"You boys doing ok? Not hurting too much?" Mom asked just before she put the key into our front door.

I shook my arm around and still felt it sore underneath the bandages. The nurses probably went through roll after roll of bandages on all of us when they changed them. Each old one ended up tinted red like a cherry. I nodded up at her and so did Axel and Riku.

"Good," Mom said proudly and pushed the door open to let the warm air brush past us. "I left the heater on when I heard that you boys were going to be staying with us for a while. Honey, tell Axel where to put his stuff, ok? Are you ok with him staying in your room?"

"Ah, uhm, y-yeah! It's no problem..." I rubbed my injured arm and felt goose bumps spiking up. Axel sort of nudged me with his shoulder and, when I looked at him, he half winked at me and smiled. He then turned back to follow mom inside with Riku and Sora following behind him.

I shut the door behind me and locked it up tight. Right when I saw Axel looking around like he'd just seen heaven, I knew that he was protected here. Nothing was gonna get him. No alcohol, no cold nights, no knives...just a place where he belonged. I suddenly got the urge to run up behind him and cling onto him. Even if it might hurt, I wanted to...but I didn't.

"Riku, you'll stay in Sora's room."

"Yes, ma'am," Riku replied and let Sora take him upstairs and to the left. This reminded me of the times when the two of them would have sleepovers. They'd most likely think of this as a huge play date; it's a best friend thing to do.

"And don't rough house, Sora! Riku's still healing remember?"

"Yes, mom!" Sora yelled back and slammed the door.

"Don't slam the door!" Mom shook her head and looked at Axel who was just standing in the middle of the living room with his head pointed to the floor. Wow, he really was smaller than me. Why is it that each time mom talks he just clams up?

Worriedly, I strolled up to his side. "You ok?" I asked.

He nodded.

"Don't worry, honey. Nothing's gonna get you..." Mom started trying to soothe him with her typical baby voice. But, by the look on Axel's face, the baby voice wasn't there. He just looked at her, unblinking and stiff when she gently touched his shoulder. I looked back at mom and even found myself lost in the way she was calming a crazy animal like him.

"I don't want you to worry about your father...you and your brother are going to be with us for as long as you need to. And I'll do whatever I have to just to keep you safe, ok?" She smiled warmly and looked at me, sharing it with me too.

"Take him upstairs, honey. Don't mess around too much...oh, and I'll bring in some sheets if you need it. Just follow Roxas, dear."

I nodded weakly and walked ahead of Axel to the stairs. It took some time before he caught onto the fact that I was walking away. He eventually saw me and, somewhat paranoid, crept up the stairs. I gazed over my shoulder and saw him looking like he could break down any minute. I realized that I couldn't stay too far from him. Every second I was looking at him and every second I was thinking about him. I kept seeing the blood and kept hearing the screams...the shots...my name.

I carefully ran two of my fingers across the bandage on my arm and turned the corner to my room down the hall. I stopped in front of the door and, right before I pushed the door open, wondered if we'd all make it through the night.

I stepped foot into my room and stared around it as if I hadn't been inside it in my whole life. It was still as cluttered as ever; laundry scattered across the floor, one shoe without the other, incomplete homework assignments and a sea salt ice cream stain. This was home. I didn't feel like switching on the light and, instead, delved deeper into the darkened space to pick up some of the laundry to make a pathway to the bed.

"You can put your stuff on the bed if you want," I said while tossing a dirty old shirt in a laundry basket. I heard the door behind me shut tight and I turned around to see Axel standing there against the wall, looking at me like he'd just met me. He kept his backpack around one shoulder and, for whatever reason, didn't want to move.

"Axel," I said, standing up. "Everything ok?"

He swallowed and blinked several times as if running movie clips through his eyes. I didn't get it...back at the hospital he seemed emotionally unaffected by the scene. Now here he was: mute and shy. Did the shots alter his personality?

He gathered himself up and spoke up to me with his head tilted in an angle. "Why's your mom doing this for us?" He asked mistily.

"Why? Well...she's always been that kind of person I guess. She doesn't like leaving people behind."

"Are all moms like that? I thought they all sat at home and just stood in front of the stove all day." He half laughed and moved away from the wall, removing his backpack from behind him. He walked up beside me and neatly put it at the foot of my bed.

I watched him and _really_ knew how much I missed him. I felt like I hadn't seen him before; that maybe the only place I'd seen him was in my dreams. Maybe if I reached out my hand and tried to touch him, he'd just end up being nothing but air. Why would I think that? Did I really not believe that he was alive? Did I really not believe that yesterday was over? Maybe I'm the one that's paranoid, not Axel.

I was about to say something before I heard a soft knock at my door. I turned. "It's open."

Quietly, the door swung open and in came mom with, just as she promised, some sheets in her arms. She kept the light off and strolled over to my bed, placing the sheets atop it before going back into the hall to bring back some pillows and a comforter. I moved out of the way for her to get by and she started spreading the sheets on the floor at my bedside.

"There," She said, patting the floor bed. "One of you can take this. There's not much room to move around on Roxas' bed."

While mom laughed about it, I stared at my bed, knowing that we really could both fit on it. Some image came to mind but I shook it away.

"I already called up your school and let them know that you're all staying home all this week. They'll find someway for you to make up your missed work next week on Tuesday." She got up from the floor and looked at both of us with that 'you're welcome' look drawn on her face. "Get some sleep, boys. Just wake me up if you need to take the pain killers the doctor's prescribed."

She brought me closer to her and planted a soft kiss on my forehead. She took me into a hug and started cradling me back and forth. I looked in front of me at Axel. He was staring like _that_ again.

"I love you," Mom said.

"Love you too," I replied and she let me go. Then, to Axel's and my surprise, walked up to Axel and pulled him into a hug too.

"It'll be ok, it'll be ok," She assured him that over and over and patted him on the back. Axel's face drew another pale blank. His arms weren't moving at all. He wasn't exactly sure if he should hug her back or not. After tons of cooing, mom pulled away and smiled to both of us before walking back up to the door. She waited for the two of us to start moving again before shutting the door without a sound.

We were left in darkness...quiet and cold darkness. I could see that Axel was in front of me under the moonlight. Yeah, he changed a lot. But, this was getting out of hand. Was mom doing something wrong? What?

I didn't want to get too much into the topic of it and, instead, sat myself on the bed mom spread out earlier. Axel glanced down at me, confused. "Take my bed. I've slept on the floor before. It's not that bad."

"You sure?"

I grabbed a pillow and squeezed it a bit against my stomach. "I don't mind."

Axel got up onto the bed and looked out at the town that was drenched in floating lights and running trains. Every time we were together, there was always a view to see. Coincidence? He sat crossed legged and turned his head to look down at me. My ring tingled against my skin when we locked eyes. That's right...I still hadn't removed it and neither had he.

"Hey, don't take this the wrong way," He said in a bad-boy whisper.

"What?" I clung tighter onto the pillow.

"I...I don't sleep very well by myself...sometimes I get...I get Riku to stay beside me."

I recalled the time that I overheard Riku and Sora talking that one night that Olette got raped. Riku said that he had to stay beside Alex for so long before he could actually get to sleep. I guess that happened a lot after an abuse rampage from Arson. Was he asking me...wait, what was he asking me anyway?

"I'm not that far. Just on the floor."

He lowered his head and scratched his neck. "Yeah. You're right."

Suddenly I felt ashamed in myself for blowing him off like that. My wound seemed to widen and deepen. Even the bleeding felt like it was flowing again but when I felt my arm, the bandage was still dry.

"Wasn't the dance fun?" Axel suddenly brought up in a quiet tone.

Oh yeah, we had that dance on Friday night. I thought back and remembered seeing the main events pop into mind: the rules, the exposed stomachs and backs, Zexion's smile, Olette's smile, the steam and the power getting cut. In some ways, it was fun.

I nodded and pretended to smile. "Lots of rules broken, huh?"

He scoffed then laughed kinkily. Hm, odd. "If we hadn't broken the rules then we wouldn't have been able to have much of a good bonding time, right?"

I couldn't help but laugh a little. For some reason, the pillow just seemed to absorb all the laughter and send it back into my chest like a rock. I slowly stopped myself from laughing and, instead, half covered my face in the pillow and closed my eyes. I wasn't sleepy or anything. I was just...just...

"Roxas?"

"Mm...sorry. S-Sorry. I'm just..." I ran my face across the side of the pillow to cover up my eyes and make it look like I accidentally scratched myself. Stage career wasn't my future. I gave up and quietly cried to myself. Hopefully it would be too dark for Axel to see my face stained. Just in case, I stood up and dropped the pillow at my feet.

"I'll be right back...I-I've gotta...gotta go downstairs."

He obviously didn't buy it. I knew it. Right when I finished making up excuses, Axel had gotten up from the bed and trapped me. I whimpered once and used the back of my wrist to wipe off my face. Axel just kept his arms around my waist and kept his forehead pressed against the side of my head.

"You're not still scared, are you?"

_"I'm scared, Axel...I can't take this...I'm not gonna let people die..."_

I lightly shook my head and tired to make a smile overtake the crying. "Nuh-uh."

"Oh...I know." He said right by my ear. I don't think that was intentional...I think. My body gave off a shudder and my breath started feeling weighty.

"What?" I cleared my throat quietly and, after that, had my face turned to Axel's. I didn't look directly at him and just pointlessly looked at his neck, watching him breathe. I remembered kissing him there at the dance. I thought about doing it again but pushed away from it. Not now. Right now's supposed to be sleepy time. Mom said no messing around. I scared myself thinking about 'messing around'.

"You missed me, right?"

I didn't answer but my mouth occasionally mouthed the beginning of a sentence.

"Yeah...missed you too." I felt a smirk curve on his lips when he let his just brush mine. He hovered over me and I just waited, dodging teasingly away from his attempts to get me. I hoped the door was locked...

I let him kiss me, feeling that playing hard to get was pointless. I waited for this for way too long. I hadn't felt him or heard him or even seen him for that long either and it was literally crushing me, making the wounds cut deeper than a bullet or a knife combined. How long had it been since I kissed him? Let's face it, time was without a tick. I couldn't remember.

Each kiss was slower than the last but I knew that it wouldn't stay that way for very long. Strangely, the kissing stayed at a steady pace and kept deepening but our hands started moving to the beat too. Axel's hand lightly trailed up my injured arm and made it to my neck where he began pulling me closer to him. Easily, I reached lower to his zipper and managed to undo it. I just left it at that and went on tasting the dried saltiness from my past tears.

_Let's believe that yesterday is over..._

When the touching began advancing into massaging, I started to nervously wonder if maybe my bed was the next destination. Truthfully, I was scared for my life. Axel was still hurt and so was I. This couldn't work if we even tried.

"Ok, so I...I did miss you," I said partially sleepily with closed eyes.

"You're too predictable." We both chuckled before starting up again, just as slow as the night was going by. This had to be some kind of dream...

_"Oh, can I...help you with something?"_

_"Y-yes...I...are you Nozomi by any chance?" _

_"Yes, yes I am. What's this about?" _

_"I'm looking for my son...I came here as soon as I heard about him." _

_"Your son? Oh, my...yes, I think I know who you're talking about..." _

_"You do? Do you know where he is?" _

_"Yes, yes, he's been here with us. Stay right here, I'll see if he's awake."_

When I heard an unknown voice from downstairs, I stopped and Axel did the same. My eyes opened up when I heard how concerned that unknown person's voice sounded. Behind me, I heard nearing footsteps and instantly backed away from Axel who did the same with me. He quickly zipped up his pants and fixed his shirt. I was just about to get back into 'bed' before mom opened the door and popped her head inside.

"Roxas, Axel, are you two still up?" She asked calmly although she was panting a bit.

"Mom?" Was all I could say since she flicked the light on and widened the door. A rush of cold air blew inside which meant that a outside door had to be open somewhere.

"Boys, there's a woman downstairs...she..."

_"Nozomi?"_

Mom jumped and, from behind her, appeared a woman just her height; by the expression on her face, he could've been a lot smaller. Her hair was crimson red and fell in smooth, neatly curled bunches to her elbows. She was dressed in a long, black shirt that flowed out at the bottom and had a tie that wrapped around her stomach. She was also wearing a pair of clean blue jeans and low heeled open toed sandals. I felt my mouth drop open when I saw how piercing _green _her eyes were...how they appeared to lock onto me like a target begging to me hypnotized.

The woman froze right in the doorway when she saw the light falling right over Axel and I. Her eyes quivered as did her lips. She had to cover her hand over her mouth to stop them. She took a step back then another forward then back again. Who...who was she?

Behind me, I saw that Axel was just raising an eyebrow up at the woman's face. Something about the way he was looking at her made me wonder if he knew her at all...I definitely knew that she knew him.

"A-Axel..." The woman gasped, taking a light step into the light.

A little light went on in my head when she spoke up.

"It's...it's mommy..." She added in a lullaby voice.

Why is she here? Is this _bad_...?

* * *

**wow! my hand is hurting...-hits it- eh...i'm so tired...i need sleep now. -.-**

**did i bore you? yes...yes i did, didn't i? -crickets- oh...hooray! now we can all sleep in peace...ah. XP**

**so much fluff happened, neh? i was gonna cut this chapter but i figured that i'd better just piece it all into one since the plot would fall apart if i cut it. DX sorry! i'm too typie tonight! -bows-**

**well, that's it for the rambling tonight. hope this chapter is worth any reviews at all. if not, i hope the next will be better, yes? -gets glares- oh, ok! i'll leave now...-tackleglompsmooches all the people that RandR this story!!!- you guys are a wonderful inspiration. was this happy enough? ...you might hate me later then. ee! no more talking koko! -slaps self- X.X**

**_goodnight and sleeptight with all your dreams and...adventures? XD,  
kokoro77_**


	29. Chapter Twenty Nine: Are We Dead?

**Author's note: -sobs- break is over on monday...then golf starts...it's raining like a mother outside! i can't play golf in the rain and snow! -faints- mehhh...**

**well, enough of my misery...-peps up- hello guys! how're ya'll doing? i'm dandy. XDD all day i've been kinda sad and i can't put a finger on why. anyway, -slaps- i'm not supposed to be in misery, un! great...that was totally a narutard moment again...nuu!**

**this must be the most happy chapter i've ever written...i mean, not 'whee CHOCOLATE!' happy...i mean like...for goodness sake: the title involves deadness! DX i mean happy as in i was very much into writing this chapter and i'm looking forward to the next chapter as well. un!**

**this is for those who were happy of the outcome of the last chapter. i hope this will...i dunno...hopefully not make you want to spork war me again...-puts on hard hat- ehehe...D:  
**

* * *

Chapter Twenty Nine: Are We Dead?

Her voice rang throughout the room like some kind of angel come to earth. I almost thought that she could've been the first voice I heard when I was born...I could believe that she was really a mom. But, I wasn't entirely sure if I wanted to believe that she was _Axel's mom_.

When she was close enough to the two of us, she knelt down on the carpet and carefully placed her black purse beside her. She just wouldn't take her eyes away from Axel. I was pretty sure that nothing would make her.

When I eventually glanced over my shoulder, I saw that Axel was awkwardly staring back at her; his eyes half wide and his mouth left half open. Did he see in her what I was seeing in her? He looked like he was caught between running away and bothering to socialize with this woman. He lightly shook his head and moved his mouth tonelessly.

"He doesn't know me..." I looked back to the woman who had directed her face to the floor. She fisted her hands over her lap and squinted her eyes as if holding back tears. Before mom even had the chance to walk inside the room and comfort her, she shot up like lightning and protectively wrapped her arms around Axel's neck and head.

"It's ok, it's ok," She whispered over and over between baby sobs. She pressed Axel's face closer to her chest and he just went on staring into thin air. I wasn't even sure if he realized that someone was holding him.

Mom looked down at me and sniffed. "She found him, didn't she, Roxas?"

I looked back at her and only 'hm'd in reply. I couldn't speak. I could barely even blink. Yeah, I was happy that she had come here. I was happy that she had revealed herself and proved all rumors of her death or non-existence was untrue. What was even happier was that she seemed _perfect_. She belonged here and I felt that.

Yeah, I was happy...even though I wanted to somehow hold Axel too. I wasn't jealous. I was scared. Happy and scared...is that even possible? I had to choose one and, right then, fear was staining my mind.

xxXXxx

"Here, you've probably come a long way," mom said, offering the woman a box of tissues and a cup of coffee.

She accepted them with a gorgeous smile and dabbed away a few dots of eyeliner away from her face. I was sitting across from her on the dining table, fiddling my thumbs together in my lap. Axel had his head lowered to face the table. He wasn't taking much interest in the little conversations. All he seemed to care about was the feeling that someone, a parent, hugged him and told him that everything was going to be ok. And I thought mom hugging him was strange.

I had a thought that maybe I should tap him on the foot and start a game of footsie. I decided against it and decided to try listening in on mom and Axel's mom's talk.

"Arisa," Axel's mom said sweetly up at mom, the warmness of her smile rushing past my face when she showed it.

Mom placed a hand on Arisa's leg and gently tapped it, a sign of encouragement that she always gives. "How'd you find us here?" She asked, pulling back into her chair.

Arisa looked down into her lap then turned her head to watch Axel for the millionth time since she got here. He obviously noticed that she was looking and hesitantly looked back at her. Arisa put a thin hand on top of his head, ran her fingers through his hair then touched the top of his shoulder.

"I heard about the situation on the news broadcast back at home," She looked back at mom, "Back at Radiant Garden."

I let go of my water glass just before I was about to drink from it and stared at Arisa through the water that sloshed around in the cup. Radiant Garden? That was miles and miles from here.

"The news spread that quickly?" Mom gasped, scooting forward into her chair.

Arisa nodded a bit sadly. "At first I thought that it was too unbelievable to be true. This town is much safer than most." She smiled widely and scanned her eyes across the ceiling above. She could've been a model, I swear. Seconds later, that smile shifted into a sad position once more. "When I heard Arson's name, I didn't want to believe it."

"The officers told all of us to stay indoors..."

"...R-Roxas snuck out. He...wanted to find me."

I looked over at Axel after hearing him speak for the first time in forever. The whole world gets boring when he's not talking. You keep wondering what's going through his head and what he's planning to do next. I can say that over and over and it will always be true.

Arisa perked up and spun around a bit in her chair to face him. "He did?" She shot her eyes my way and I instantly felt pinned. "Oh, honey, you did?" She asked me, a few tears running down her cheeks.

"Uhm, ah, y-yes. I...I wanted to make sure...he and Riku were ok." I hate it when girls cry. I always feel responsible.

Even though she was crying, she managed to curve a smile. She touched the tip of her chin with her fingers then moved them away in my direction. She must've seen the bandages on my left arm since she said, "I heard he hurt you..."

I blinked quickly. "I-It's nothing! Really."

"He got all of us. I have a friend that's...that's supposed to stay in the hospital for a couple of weeks," Axel added, suddenly getting more and more involved.

Arisa turned to him and held one of his hands in between both of hers. I could tell she was sort of hysterical and was still in disbelief that she had found Axel. "I'm sorry."

"You...you don't have to be sorry." Axel didn't look up at her. His voice sounded like someone stole part of it away. He just kept looking at the table top then at me then back again.

"Arson wasn't always such a bad person. When we met, he was so protective of me...he promised that he would never let anyone come between us." Now this was really turning into a soap opera. When I looked at the dreamy look on mom's face, I knew that she was ultimately entertained by this.

Arisa sighed and stared at her coffee cup. "When Axel was born, it was then that I noticed that he wasn't really the father-figure."

At the sound of that, Axel looked at her in the corner of his eye with an 'oh really' written on his face.

"Arson never really played with him. The only time he did do anything with Axel was when he told him to look at a camera when he wanted a picture. Even then he didn't take much interest. That's when I decided that maybe he was bored with one child so I agreed to take in a foster baby for a while to see how our family would react. It wasn't a surprise that Arson would be interested...he only wanted Riku because of the money."

"Oh, how terrible," mom said in disgust. Ch, old story.

"Well, we eventually adopted Riku since Axel got so attached to him. After that, Arson became a father...but not toward his real son. Arson never knew that Riku was no longer a foster baby so we no longer received payment for having him in the house. I suppose he figured that out when he recently visited me with Riku some weeks ago."

I thought back for a bit. When Arson was gone with Riku, Axel said that Riku tagged along to straighten the man out. Now that I thought about it, it made sense that they would visit Radiant Garden...so Riku really did know he was adopted? He really did know that Arisa was real?

"Arson and I divorced when the kids were almost two years old. He was becoming a bit abusive...but he wasn't doing anything to the kids so I figured that, being as protective as he was with me, he would somehow be able to care for them on his own. So...I left. I entirely regret it. Arson said that he would let Riku see me every now and then...as for Axel...nothing. I could only secretly send him pictures and notes. I couldn't be suspicious."

Pictures...right. Those ones in the notebook that Axel kept with him. I remembered that there had been one of him as a little kid that was ripped down the middle. You could still see someone's hand wrapped around his shoulder. Now I knew that it belonged to Arisa.

"Honey..." Arisa cooed, staring directly at Axel even though he still wouldn't look at her. "I just want you to know that I'm sorry...it was selfish of me to leave you behind...to get hurt...and for your friends to get hurt."

"You really don't..."

_"Mom?"_

Jumpily, I spun to my right and saw that Riku had appeared out of the dark wearing a pair of blue PJs that were noticeably too tight on him. He was also shirtless which was insane since it was still pretty cold out.

"Riku, what're you doing awake?" Mom asked, surprised herself. I watched Riku's eyes brighten up when his eyes fell upon Arisa. Like a dog, he added some quickness in his step and shot over to her side. Once there, Arisa pulled him into a cheek kiss and smiled up at him.

"Mom, what're you doing here? What's wrong?"

"Oh, don't be like that," Arisa snorted, punching Riku softly on the arm. "You know what's wrong."

Riku scratched his head sheepishly. "Yeah...kind of a mess."

"Where'd he hurt you? Ah, there..." She pointed to Riku's arm that was wrapped up in a tight cast.

Riku just chuckled and moved back, taking a seat right beside Axel who I still couldn't believe was refusing to look anywhere but at the table and me. I wonder...

Just when mom, Arisa and Riku started up talking, I cleared my throat and coughed roughly. Axel's eyes wandered up to check on me just like I thought he would do. I gazed around the table before thrusting my thumb toward the living room to the right. Axel raised an eyebrow and mouthed a quick 'what?' I bit my lower lip and looked back at mom. I coughed a couple more times.

"Oh, Roxas, are you ok?" To my surprise, Arisa was the one who took in all the coughing and turned it into concern. Well, that worked too. I looked at her and pretended that there was something stuck in my throat.

"Can you...excuse me?" I wheezed and pushed away from the table.

"Do you need help?" Arisa was already eager to get up and stitch me up. I just raised a hand and began heading for the living room.

"No, I'll be fine, thanks."

"Uh...hey, Roxas. I'll go with him..." Axel brought up quietly and pushed away from the table himself. Arisa stared at him concerned but let him follow me out into the pitch black shadows in the living room. In fact, it was so dark in there that I nearly freaked out and thought I had passed out.

Just before I tripped over the coffee table, I swerved to the side and balanced myself against the couch. Axel was still behind me and he was doing his usual job of being the only visible light in the room. I double checked the light coming from the dining room just to make sure that the three of them were still talking and weren't gonna try to eavesdrop. Good.

"Are you ok?" I asked in a spasm, sitting down on the arm of the couch.

"Wh-wha? Uh, yeah." I followed his eyes and noticed that his gaze was shifting from me to the TV. What did he think? Would it turn on in a magic second and force him to watch the OC? Hell no.

I rolled my eyes and sighed roughly. "Stop it, ok?" I said, punching the couch with my bandaged arm. I didn't want to be too demanding. He didn't take things like that all too well.

Axel finally looked away from the TV and brought his attention to me at an angle. He clicked his tongue and put a hand behind his head. I had my night eyes by then. "It's just...short notice, you know? I mean, this lady's my...my _mother_."

"Do you believe her?" I asked, more seriously.

He paused before saying, "We look alike."

"But is that enough for you to believe that she's real?"

"I'm just not used to having a parent...until now, Riku and my gang was all I had."

I had to admit that that hurt a little bit. I swallowed and looked into my lap where I started fiddling with my thumbs again. Geez, I had to stop being so selfish. So what if he didn't mention my name? Give him time, Roxas. Don't mess this up.

"Was that all you wanted to ask me?" He brought up, lowering his hand from behind his head. I twitched, thinking that he was going to touch me or something after he brought his hand down. Embarrassed, I looked at him at an angle too.

"You should be happy...and...I'm happy for you." The last bit of my sentence sounded like a run over frog. No, no, stupid iceball shouldn't be here right now!

The room got quiet with the exception of the three chatting away in the dining room. I felt the cushions beside me sink and I looked over to see Axel sitting down right next to me. For a second, I thought he was crying. I leaned forward to get a better look at him.

"Axel?" I didn't say something wrong, did I?

"And you..." He laughed and punched my left arm weakly. "I've got you too."

There we go. The inner me literally wouldn't stop bouncing around in my stomach. I felt like I could float in the air or even run up on my roof and yell to the whole world that Axel just said that I was important to him. Maybe I'd suddenly break into song about it and dance around with a coat hanger...love does that to people.

I smiled and slipped off of the couch arm I was sitting on to get into Axel's lap. I just sat there like a baby begging to be cradled and stared at my feet. When I thought about it, this was the perfect position for making out. Even though I would've liked to, I didn't take any action. Remember Roxas, wait a few more days before sprawling on top of each other. You've both still got part of you wrapped up like sushi.

Man, I sounded like mom when I lectured myself! Not only that, but there was a ringing in my head that wouldn't shake away. At first I thought it could've been my ears getting messed around with or maybe some feedback from the smoke detector on the ceiling.

_RING _

_RING _

_RING _

Stupidly, I looked up from the couch and frantically stared around the darkness, thinking for half a second that I had been asleep. Maybe I was because that ringing sounded like a dream noise. What it really was was the phone, ringing to a point where it was jumping out of the receiver. I swerved my feet to the floor and stood up before reaching to the side of the couch to answer it.

"Hello?" I spoke first.

_"Nozomi? Oh, oh, is this Roxas?"_

"Yes, ma'am, this is Roxas."

_"Roxas, Roxas it's my son...he's asking for you." _

"Uhm, ah, who...?"

_"By the way, this is Zexion's mother...I'm sorry to be calling you so late."_ Her voice sounded so misty. She sounded like she had been swallowing down tears for days. I thought everything was ok...wasn't it?

"Is everything ok?"

_"And Axel too. He's asking for Axel too. If you can, could you please tell your mother that? Maybe she could take all of you here..."_

I wasn't getting the whole picture here. Why was Zexion asking for us? We weren't allowed to say goodbye to him when we left the hospital...maybe he thought we forgot about him. Guiltily, I looked at Axel who was looking back at me curiously. I wondered if he could hear the conversation at all.

"Is Zexion doing alright?"

That's when I heard a half sob on the other line that nearly made me want to sob too. _"He's very...tired. It's hard for him..."_ She couldn't finish and her voice was covered up by the rustling of fabric against the speaker. I managed to hear some broken words and sobs but, a few seconds later, she told me again to tell mom and hung up.

When the line went dead, I stared ahead of me for a while before slowly, very slowly, putting the phone back down on the table.

"Roxas? What's up?" Axel asked, kneeling up on the couch.

I shook my head slowly. "I don't know...hospital," I suddenly said, turning to face him. "Hospital. Zexion's calling for us."

It didn't take long for Axel to think the same thing I was thinking. That, and it didn't take long for us to barge back into the dining room to tell mom that we had to go. _Had to_. And we meant it. Mom got the message and Arisa instantly sprung to her feet, following mom to go wake up Sora.

I didn't bother to put shoes on and walked around the house barefoot. I'd run all the way across town like that too if I had too. When I shut my eyes, I saw dark red and I heard heavy breathing.

"Roxas! You're bleeding!" Axel said, quickly grabbing my left arm and holding it high above my head.

When I looked down, I saw that I was spotting a bit on the bandage. I was getting stressed out here. What if I wasn't going to be the only one bleeding?

xxXXxx

Again, again I'm caught here in this place. I thought that after this scene, hospitals would never exist; only in my memories they would. But something kept pulling me back here like a crazy lure that brought me nowhere but screams and death beds. Sure, this place was meant to save people. But, each time I went, all that happened were tears, needles and despair. God I wished pain wasn't real sometimes.

Mom mentioned to the lady behind the front desk that we had permission from Zexion's parents that we could visit. It was after visiting hours but the nurses allowed us in anyway. That was weird...something was definitely up.

As soon as we got the ok, two nurses, unlike the usual one, lead us down a hallway that felt like it was going on for miles. Arisa was walking behind me beside Axel. She didn't know what was going on but she was treating it as if she had to be here. Sora and Riku were still in their PJs and were in front of me. Sora was swerving occasionally since he didn't get to finish waking up yet.

"Here we are...his parents should be inside waiting for all of you," The first nurse said, peering through the window first before knocking on the door.

_"Come in,"_ was the reply back.

The nurse quietly pushed the door open and floated inside, letting the second nurse hold the door open for all of us as well as whisper to each of us to 'hold on'. I wonder what that was supposed to mean?

When we were all inside, nurse behind us shut the door. I could smell doctor's tools and hospital food floating around when she closed it. All around us the lights were turned down low, mimicking the lazy orange color of the Twilight Town trademark sky. The walls were painted warm orange which left room for all the machines to stand out in striking white. To our left, pushed against one wall, was a bed and in that bed was Zexion.

His head was propped up by hundreds of pillows and his body was surrounded in white sheet after white sheet. His skin was extremely pale and looked like it was getting paler every second I looked at it. Around his stomach was a large cotton sheet wrapped over and over with bandages. Unlike the rest of us, he had a monitor that read his heart rate and measured his blood pressure. This was really real...he was really in that much pain.

"Zex," Axel said, being the first to walk over to his friend's side. I followed with the others just staying in the doorway.

As we got closer, Zexion turned his head to us and smirked. His mom was sitting on the other side of him with one hand touching his head. She had dark silver hair like his that was all pushed to one side to fall over her right shoulder. His dad was a pretty skinny guy with black hair and short bangs that almost covered up his left eye. Now I knew were Zexion got his hair from.

Axel took a chair and leaned forward into the bed. I got down on the floor on one knee and did the same, just staring at Zexion's fading face.

"How are you?" I asked quietly, putting my hand over his right one.

He cleared his throat, which seemed to hurt, and looked at both Axel and I like we were his kids. What a guy. "It's good to see that all of you are walking."

Axel sighed and put his hand on Zexion's elbow. "Yeah, but what about you? When're you gonna be walking?"

Zexion's mom sniffled and I saw that her husband was holding her to his chest. They knew something I was desperate to know what.

"Maybe soon..." His chest was moving so slowly. Was he even breathing?

"_How _soon?" Axel asked.

Zexion didn't answer and turned his head toward the ceiling with his one eye closed. "I see you've met your mom."

Axel sort of smirked and tried to laugh about it. "Everything's happening today..."

"And it's not even Friday," I added to which Zexion smiled. He rarely did that.

"She'll take...really good care of you," Zexion said at an attempt to sound cheerful.

"Yeah...yeah she will. You'll see, she will." Axel confidently tapped him on the arm when he said it. 'You'll see.' What was he thinking? He was never negative...I was getting close, though. No, stay with me here, Roxas.

"You two remember the dance, right?" Zexion croaked. He sounded worse every minute.

We both nodded. "You were a great DJ," I said.

"Perfect. You got everyone dancing."

"Many rules broken...you two were the worst." He opened his eye again and glared at us while raising an eyebrow. I felt the tips of my ears getting hot.

"Good luck, huh?" I said, trying to sound defiant. He just chuckled. He said that right before Axel and I got into the locker room that night. Because of him, we had one of the best nights even if Arson did step in. He was even the one that told me that Arson had been there. He was the one that brought in a flashlight and warned me to go tell the police. He _wanted_ me to be safe. He wanted _all _of us to be safe. And here he was...this was unfair...this was too unfair.

"We're gonna be ok, right?" I said, feeling my hand begin to close over Zexion's hand.

"Yeah...you two especially. You're both perfect..."

Yeah. He told me in the lockers one time when I was caught peeping in on Demyx's and Axel's talk _while Axel was half naked_. I hated Axel at the time but all Zexion could say was that I 'fancied him'. I told him it was a lie. But ever since then, I noticed that Zexion's always told me things about me and Axel.

He looked mad that Axel had hit me with a basketball maybe because it could've ruined our chance to get along. He even whispered to me that Demyx was calling Axel in the bathroom that one day Axel went missing. He must've been the one to give me that note about the locker room being open too. What if he was the one that dimmed the lights in the locker room while we were both slow dancing? What if he was the one that told Axel to throw me that pencil the first day of school? I didn't know for sure...but...it was all him. _It had to be_.

I couldn't hold it anymore. Seeing him all hurt wasn't helping me. I choked and literally slammed my head atop Zexion's and my hand. I squeezed tighter and found myself sobbing lightly. "Thank you...thanks..." I muttered into the bed sheets.

I felt something pressing against my side and on the side of my head. It must've been Axel leaning against me. I pictured the faces of everyone around us. Were they crying? Were they in utter shock that Axel was consoling me? Maybe they had left the room and were watching through the window like it was a television set. I was obviously making a scene.

"You're welcome..." He replied in a whisper and nudged my palm with the top of his hand. He was going to make it. He was _going _to walk again. I wouldn't let go until he did.

"You're gonna go home, Zex, ok? You're gonna help Roxas and me out with Sex Ed stuff, right? And you can DJ for the dances again. You're gonna get out of here." Axel's voice wasn't breaking at all. He just sounded hushed as if to console me even more. How can he do that? And here I was staining the sheets with nonstop tears. I really am the only boy in the world that still cries, aren't I?

"That's enough...you're just making Roxas feel worse..."

Great. _That_ made me feel worse. It just reminded me of the time when Marluxia was yelling so loudly that it made Axel shake up. That was the first time that I saw Zexion's face and voice change so dramatically. He was really _lecturing_. He had been protecting Axel from falling apart.

"You're like a dad to me, Zex," Axel whispered.

"Me too...you're one to me too," I said, looking up. Just keep using present tense; it'll make us feel better. The air hit me cold when it touched my tears. When I shivered, Axel just snuggled closer to me.

That's when I saw him smile wider than any other smile. Zexion was actually smiling like he wanted to. He shut his eye and nodded once. Then, slowly, extremely slowly, with his head turned out way, his smile began to shrink and the hair that hid his left eye fell away from his face. Both of his eyes now were staring straight at us with clouds beginning to flood them. I held on so tight to his hand that my knuckles turned white.

"Don't let me stop you...when you wake up, this'll all be over. You'll be...you'll both be somewhere perfect...you'll both find each other there, understand?"

I didn't. But I hoped I would soon. Just before I could answer, Zexion scoffed again and dropped. Dead. _Dropped dead_.

In a fluster, I pulled my head up to stare at the monitor. Three thin lines ran through the black screen and below the monitor, Zexion's mom had gone unconscious. His dad was holding her so close with his eyes shut calmly.

"Zex...Zex, no, no! You're not! YOU'RE NOT! ZEX!" I shook his hand which suddenly fell cold in my palm. I tugged at the sheets like some sort of animal and started raising my voice while I did it.

"Roxas...Roxas, Roxas," Axel said my name over and over again and found some way to get me to stop. He pulled me back toward his chair and grabbed both my wrists, trying to get them to stop shaking. He kept his chin atop my head and rocked us forward and back while I silently cried.

"He's not...Axel, he's not..."

"It's ok..."

"I'm scared."

Dead. Gone, cold, disappeared..._dead_. In a way, I thought the whole room became all of the above.

xxXXxx

Some hours later, the nurses told us it was time to leave. Now I knew why there were two of them in the room. One to prepare for the death and one to console the loved ones. I stood up shaking weakly and the whole time, Axel just held onto me like static. I watched the doctor come in, check Zexion's lost pulse before shaking his head. He did the usual doctor thing by apologizing for the loss and, eerily, pulled those white sheets over Zexion's body.

That was it...our 'dad' was gone. Shot down by a bullet that wasn't even made for him...why did I have to stand where I was standing? I could've taken that bullet and Zexion would've lived. _Unfair_.

The whole time we were walking back home, we were all so quiet. Everyone's heads were turned to the ground and, in the darkness, everyone was wearing black. The funeral hadn't even been planned out yet.

When we got back home, the rooms were still warm, attempting to welcome me back with some sort of embrace. Was everyone trying to help me? Not one second did Axel let go of me. He did once when Arisa asked if it would be alright to talk to him for a while. Arisa politely soothed me and sat me down on the couch, patted me on the forehead and took Axel into the kitchen.

They talked for hours.

Sora and Riku sat with me a while to make sure I was really ok before dragging themselves back upstairs into Sora's room. Knowing them, they were going to most likely stay up until tomorrow morning to talk about Zexion's death.

Some time passed before Axel finally came out of the kitchen, his eyes lost in the floor. Arisa came up behind him, worriedly asking him if he was hurt. He didn't respond and instantly flew to the stairs. Mom was just coming downstairs when he rushed past her, hiding his face from her as if in shame.

Still shaking, I let my stinging eyes follow him before he turned the corner and entered my room, shutting the door softly behind him. Something inside my chest throbbed uncontrollably, telling me that he needed me. I forced my legs to get over death for now even though my own mind wasn't fully healing over it yet. I stood from the couch, weakly said goodnight to both of the moms and climbed the stairs. When I was sure I was out of sight in the hallway, I hurried.

Just before I turned the knob, I felt something wet touching my fingers. I stared into my palm and rubbed my fingers together. Water? I ignored it for now and silently pushed the door open, letting the darkness of my room take me in again. Using my back, I shut the door and, for safety, locked it.

I was surprised how dark it still was considering how early in the morning it must've been. The faint blue glow of the moon fell over my bed that currently had sheets pulled tightly over something...or someone.

"A-Axel?" I asked. It was the first time I spoke in a while. I took light steps, making sure not to startle him, toward my bed, avoiding the junk that blocked my path. I just kicked them out of the way and sat on the edge of my mattress.

"Hey, are you asleep?" I really thought he was since he wasn't moving. When he didn't respond, I raised a hand and inched it closer to where I saw crimson spikes poking out from underneath the blanket. I stopped when my hand touched a soggy spot on the pillow. Confused, I froze my hand over the spot and touched it again. Was he drooling? I smiled meekly and sniffed. Yeah, I was still traumatized from losing someone in my life...but I couldn't let it eat me up.

"Don't drool all over my pillow," I teased and carefully pulled the blankets away. When I did, I saw that his back was turned toward me and his shoulders were trembling. Dreaming maybe? Prying with questions unanswered, I scooted closer to him until my chin was nearly touching his trembling body.

I felt like crying all over again but, when I tried, I was all cried out. I just stared at his face, expressionless and unmoving.

_Axel was crying_.

I wasn't seeing things...there were really drops slipping down his face and onto the pillow and sheets. He was staring mindlessly at his open hands, making little sobbing noises every now and then. I could tell he was trying to stop. I didn't want him to. I just wanted to know why.

"Why?" I simply asked, resting a hand on his pillow.

He opened his mouth but nothing came out. He waited for a few more tears to spill out before giving me broken words.

"She...She...me...away."

"What?"

"M-Mom...taking...me away."

Forget the room becoming dead...the whole world just did. Everyone just did. Everything was lost...everything was losing something important.

_Wake up, Roxas. Wake up somewhere perfect...please. Please, just wake up._

* * *

_ **-**_**has listened to daughtry for the zillionth time since the start of this chapter- my my...i made axel so...so, zombie like! maaaaa! oh the OOC! it burns! -shades under a palm tree- O.o**

** oh, but i thought it was fitting for this ending moment. it's not easy to take sudden news in one day! especially when that news is...bum bum bum -secret- -sporked with a knife- is that even possible? XP**

**un! time to sleep. it's my parents' anniversary tomorrow so i've gotta get up early to be special, yes? XD there was so much angst in this chapter. i didn't want zexion to be like: 'goodbye...my sons...' and the two like 'FAHTEERRR!' that would be corny. original is the best! ...i hope. XP i need citrus goodness sooooon!  
**

** _un! -is turning into deidara from naruto- saveeee meee!  
kokoro77  
_**


	30. Chapter Thirty: Sex and Train Rides

**Author's note: -sigh- sorry guys about not posting last saturday night! this chapter was hard to write at first since it involves...eh...secret! kukuku X3**

**shh...i'm at school right now and i'm suppose to be typing up a paper about don quixote...but that's due monday...it can wait. akuroku neeeeeeeed meeee! -bows to akurokuness- XD hee, the chapter title is weird. i thought of it in the shower and i freaked myself out. -flail- you'll find out about the train rides...but most of all the sex...part ONE of it. X3**

**well, this saturday i'll be able to get another chapter posted for you guys. below contains a lot of...things. _interesting_ _things._ yay! oo, teacher's coming...he wouldn't want to see gay love...oop! better go to type the goodbye note! -runs off-**

* * *

Chapter Thirty: Sex and Train Rides 

What...the hell? Did someone hate me right now? Was there someone out there that literally wanted to see me shriveled up on the side of the road, bleeding and crying while waiting to die? I knew it sounded drastic...but trying to think of happy thoughts weren't gonna help me out..._us _out.

Was what I heard even _real_? It couldn't be. Then again, nothing right now seemed real. That's it...I was flat out losing everything. But this...god, what was I gonna _do_?

Vacantly, I sat on the bed, just watching Axel stare at his hands while crying. I wasn't even sure if I was supposed to comfort him or anything. He didn't look like anyone I'd ever seen crying before. He didn't look like he was about to curse the world or even punch a wall. All he looked like was a runaway, just like the kid I saw that night Axel was held hostage.

So, as it turns out, I'm not the only boy that still cries. Feel good? Feel bad? How should I feel? What would he want me to feel?

Shyly, I sort of raised my hand and rested it atop his shoulder, feeling him shake underneath me. I had to get him to stop somehow.

"...Really?" I asked, croakily.

It took a while for him to respond, but he did, still not facing me or anything else for that matter. "Trust me..." He sniffed once and started again. "...I didn't believe it...either." He sounded like he'd just been stepped on.

"A-Axel...hey." As a last minute thought, I lightly squeezed his arm and said, "Talk to me."

That's when the room got freakishly quiet. I couldn't even hear Axel's crying anymore. Please tell me he stopped...and tell me that I won't start. Before I gave up, thinking that he'd fallen asleep on me, I felt the bed move and little to the side. I looked up from the mattress and saw that he was starting to actually _move_. I was getting a little excited...just a little. When you're depressed, there's not a lot another emotion can do for you.

Axel eventually got it in him to sit up on the bed even though he still had his back to me. For awhile, his head was turned downward before he looked up to stare at the lazy city through my window. I just stared at his back, thinking if I should force him to look at me or to just get on the floor and sleep. No, we had to talk.

"Please? You don't even have to tell me anything about leaving. Just...anything."

Axel brokenly sighed and turned his head back to his lap. " Radiant Garden used to be called Hallow Bastion. That's where she's been all this time." He had that 'just woke up' voice right about now.

I narrowed my eyes at him and crossed my legs on the bed. I wondered...if this would be the last time I'd get to see Axel. What if he was gonna leave in a minute? A second? Now? Stop it. You're just gonna force yourself to cry. It doesn't help.

"She said...that it's a great place. They've got some repairs to do but the rest of the town's great. And...she said that, once you're there, it's almost impossible to grab a train and travel."

"I thought you wanted to ride one, one of these days."

"It's not until now that I...I know I really didn't mean it. Maybe then, but, now, now I wish I could glue myself here."

"So, I guess that means you won't visit often, huh?" I lowered my voice so much that I thought I was going to lose it in the dark.

The bed moved again and in the corner of my eye I saw that he had turned his body around just a little bit to talk to me. His face wasn't overflowing with tears. At least that was something. He looked at me at an angle with droopy eyes.

"This killed me, you know?" He said hoarsely.

I nodded like I knew what he meant and agreed to it. I could never agree to something like this...but I could agree to the pain. This was like death times a million. My chest started feeling a bit sore but I swallowed for it to stop, knowing that the necklace was telling me something.

"When...are you going?" I couldn't help it. I couldn't look at him anymore. I started talking to the blanket instead. Right, as if a blanket would answer me.

"She said in a couple of weeks...maybe next week. She needs to get a hold of two more tickets for me and Riku."

So she was taking Riku too? I already pictured Sora punching and kicking his wall until he busted a hole in it. Then I'd have to pick the lock in his door to get him to stop but I'd already be too late. Then maybe I'd have to get down on the floor and talk to him like we used to. Poor Sora. Even if the two could call each other, it would still feel like shit that they couldn't see each other.

"It's a while...we can still hang out, right?" I tried to sound hopeful when I looked back at him.

Axel half smiled down at me. "Yeah. Yeah, we can."

Both of us paused again and, for a second, I thought that the blanket was gonna start talking to me. I was definitely losing my head. In fact, I was getting so crazy that I started getting thoughts of last this and last that. I started thinking that this could maybe be the last time I would get to look at Axel, hear him, talk with him...feel him...kiss him even. Man, there's a last time for everything.

I remembered that both of us were sitting on a bed, just as quiet as that one night that I spent the night over at his house. What would happen now? Were we gonna repeat that or forget it? Truthfully, I didn't want to forget it...I just didn't know if repeating would be good.

Sort of scared, I shifted my feet in the bed. "Hey...you know..." Just before I could say anymore, in came the crying again. I must've said something bad. Didn't I say the guy read minds? Maybe he heard all my thoughts and started sobbing over them. Great, that was really being stupid.

Axel stared into the blanket with his eyes half closed. He started blinking a lot which made all these tears fall onto the bed. Geez, this can't be him. The real Axel would usually laugh about this sort of thing.

Something in my gut told me to do something about it. I wasn't comfortable with him crying and I knew that me being all sad wasn't gonna help. Tell a joke, slap him, whatever. Just make him know that crying is useless...even if that means...that means...

I bit the corner of my lip and thought things through. Try not to be so forceful...don't push him. Just...ugh. Go for it. If it's what sounds right, then go for it. Go on, Roxas. It might be the last...last time.

I swallowed down what was left of that second iceball and inched closer to Axel across the bed. I didn't move until I was close enough for our knees to touch. Only his eyes moved up to look at me sort of innocently. The bed around him was soaking wet.

I shook my head forcefully to the left and right when I caught him looking at me. I hoped he would understand but he just went on looking at me with both eyes on the verge of falling out.

"Uh-uh," I said quietly, the frog in my throat coming back to my voice. "J-Just d-don't."

"Huh?"

"D-Don't." I nearly blurted that out but when I locked us together, it ended up coming out like a stifled yell.

Axel's response was a quiet' huh' before I could feel his mouth freeze up against mine. I could sort of taste the salt from his tears but I didn't care. I just didn't care. If this would really be the last time, then I had to include every little tidbit. Some seconds passed before things weren't so cold and lifeless anymore. I had my eyes closed so I couldn't tell if I stopped the crying or not.

Slowly, and carefully, I traced the curve of Axel's tongue with mine. He pushed back at me harmlessly and slid underneath to do the same. That's it...just-go-slow. Each kiss lasted about five minutes each, I swore they did. Each one was even different than the last. I could've been dominating or vice versa. One could've had this incredibly long pause in the middle while another would keep going on and on. Experiences definitely changed since the first time this happened.

Tons of 'ahs' and 'mms' were mixed in with the kissing; almost like one of us wanted to speak but we didn't have enough time to. Sometime later, I felt him reach to the back of my head where he started combing through my spikes with his fingers. With one of my hands near the bottom of his neck, I could feel his shoulder blades rubbing against me so I lightly rubbed back.

Soon, he brushed over to my right ear and gave me a little bite before moving lower to my neck where he calmly kissed me over and over. I rested part of my head atop his shoulder and nudged the side of his head with my cheek. It nearly made me shiver when I felt his face touch me. I guessed it was because his face was so cold from all that crying. It wasn't until now that I realized I had Axel's back pinned against the wall behind him,

Things got a little tenser from there. As if we both got tired of sitting, we both fell onto the pillows and ruffled blankets; him on top of me. I stretched my legs out on each side of him and wrapped them around his waist. He took both of my wrists and held them over my head. When I squirmed from light pain, I remembered that my left arm was still wrapped up.

"Sorry..." He whispered down at me and I felt his forehead being pressed against mine. He sounded pretty lazy, even tipsy.

"Don't worry about it..." I replied and he kissed me openly again with my hands held away from me. With my legs still around him, I pulled them down toward me which dragged Axel along with them. I brought him low enough to feel his stomach just close enough to touch my own.

Axel's grip around my wrists moved down to our stomachs where I felt him start to lift my shirt up. Still kissing him, my hands eagerly grabbed the bottom of his shirt and, with sweaty palms, pulled it away from him. We weren't completely half naked but we were 'naked' enough to feel our skin rubbing together. I didn't even care that he had bandages touching me. It was close enough to naked.

I unlocked my legs behind him and left them on each side of his body with my knees up. I could feel Axel's necklace chain gliding like a snake around my neck along with the ring and diamonds. My own necklace trembled like nuts when my head wrapped around the thought that even his jewelry was interested in me.

I couldn't leave my hands just laying there and they let me know it. Quickly, they found a way to get to Axel's back where they literally attempted to dig right through the bandages. They scratched and clung onto him like animals. I was glad he had some sort of protection otherwise he'd be badly nicked right about now.

Axel sort of twitched and I stopped, thinking that I hurt him. Carefully, he sat up and had me follow him to do the same. I still had my legs on each side of him so as we sat up I went back to locking them around his waist. I suddenly felt extremely high and light headed.

"What...?" I asked mistily. I didn't know what he was doing.

I found out when I felt his hands found their way into the back pockets of my pants.

"Copycat..." I lazily joked and shut myself up by kissing him again. Was I really that sleepy already? Before I knew it, I felt like floating off into space and the feeling of highness started transitioning into a midnight feel.

I could tell that Axel felt the same way too when he brought his hands back and ended the kissing in a slow second. I didn't open my eyes right then but when I did, I noticed that I had my head on a pillow with him right next to me. This time, he was actually facing me. We looked like we were trapped in a fog. My shirt was all messed up making me look like I just woke up from a bad dream.

I tried catching my breath which was the only thing between me and sleep. I tried talking but it ended up coming out as a whimper. Great, I thought the sadness was over. Turns out, right when we stopped, I remembered why we started in the first place. Why do I have to believe this?

"It's not the last time..." Axel said half to the pillow and half to me.

"Really?"

"Yeah. Promise." I heard his necklace move beside my ear and mine seemed to inch closer to that sound.

Promise. We had a lot of promises to make. Would we keep them all or forget about them when that train came and took him away? Would a ring really seal off everything we said? How can you trust something that started all the mess ups and pain? But if I'd been wearing this thing for days, then that meant something.

"It means something...doesn't it...Zex?" I almost scared myself when I realized I was talking to Zexion. Axel didn't seem to mind it.

"Uh-huh."

We both passed out as if someone told us to do it. I swore I could even feel a hand covering my face and pressing down...it was cold and unreal. That couldn't have been Axel.

_When you both wake up, this'll all be... _

_Over._

xxXXxx

I woke up to a headache and coffee. It's the exact same thing drunk people wake up to after a long night of kissing martinis and flirting with walls. What surprised me was that Axel hadn't woken up yet and normally he got up before me. He had one arm around me as if I was his personal teddy bear.

I might not have wanted to but I had to remember that we weren't the only ones in the house so I quietly moved his arm and stepped out of the bed. The same summer orange was painting the sky outside through the window. Twilight Town was back to normal...for most people. Maybe not me.

When I went downstairs, Arisa and mom greeted me and sat me at the living room couch with decaf and a plate of toast. I didn't even touch the toast and only took two sips of the coffee. I wished Arisa, although she was great and all, would disappear.

Sora and Riku came down maybe half an hour later, greeted me good morning drunkenly and swayed into the kitchen like zombies. I just stared at the stairs and pictured last night like a film strip beginning from the crying to the talking to the crying again to the silence and finally to the 'cuddling'.

After countless hours, I heard my bedroom door shut and my heart bounced like a school girl in my chest. It took a while but Axel eventually peeked around the corner and got down the stairs. Once he got to the last step, he spotted me and, bouncily, sat down next to me on the couch and messed up my hair.

Arisa poked her head in on us before we could even start talking and, just like that, stole Axel away from me. Only a couple days from now, that was gonna happen again.

When Axel came back, he paused to stare at the floor then quickly shot a glance my way.

"Huh?" I asked.

"Come on, let's go." He shot across the room and grabbed my wrist, instantly prying me off my butt and up the stairs.

"What's going on?" I asked while he flung us both into my room again. For a second I thought that he was gonna start crying again so I panicked.

He spun around and, oddly enough, was smiling proudly like a kid who went to the bathroom all by himself. Yi...pee? "Being cooped up in here isn't gonna help anybody. So you," He pointed to me. "And me are gonna go out and head out to the train station."

I went bug eyed and swore my jaw almost dislocated. Was he thinking of running away? "Huh?!"

He shook his head and chuckled smoothly. "No, no, not what you think. Mom just wants me to head over to the train station to pick up the tickets she bought. Maybe you and I can hang out before we come back. Think about it: no school means no lines waiting for the train to pick us up."

"So you want us to go ride a train? And go where exactly?" I scratched my head, confused. I was even surprised that he actually called Arisa 'mom'.

"We could go anywhere. Just ride it continuously around town or stop at Sunset Hill or even go to the beach. We'll literally be the only people there." He pointed to his head. "Sound logical?"

"Well...but..." I shut my mouth and stared around the room, occasionally seeing the look on his face that screamed at me in a begging puppy voice. If he really was gonna leave me, then it only made sense to go down the list and do the things we hadn't done yet. Zexion _did _say we should be somewhere perfect...I think that's what he meant. I smiled weakly after feeling that cold hand covering my eyes again.

"Yeah. Sounds logical." That could've been a lie but if I turned him down, chances were he wasn't gonna let me see the end of it. I was expecting some sort of victory dance or a victory glomp but, instead, Axel just clicked his tongue at me and sort of smiled as if he saw me as a little baby.

"Good. Catch you downstairs in a bit, got it?" I lost myself when he smiled at me that way. I was so out of it that I barely noticed that he'd left the room until I felt a rush of cold air fly right past me when he ran.

I felt like crying again...

I looked outside and saw that the sun was just sitting outside like it was waiting for me. Right, everything's back to normal...for the most part. And if that's the case, there's no sense in crying over new beginnings and endings. There were so many things waiting for me, for us.

I looked away from the window and, after a second, walked over the closet at my right. I wondered, ripped jeans and a polo or khakis and a million-zipper jacket? Dress to impress, Roxas. This might be the last time to do it.

xxXXxx

_"Aren't you those boys that were on the news last night?" _

_"Are you ok?!" _

_"What made that man DO that to you two?" _

_"Mommy, mommy, look! It's the two guys from TV!" _

Yes, we were those boys from the news last night, from millions of nights ago. Yes, we sort of know why that 'man' held us hostage in the backyard. Go on, kid. Mommy already told us to be safer on the streets. And, most of all, we're not entirely sure if we're ok. Let's just say we're ok for now and life'll go on. I'm gonna push for it to keep going on.

In a nutshell, that's basically all Axel and I heard on our long, extremely tiring walk to the train station. The weather was starting to heat up a little more even though the town was still pretty much caught up in the end of winter. Sales were over and the streets were back to the typical crowd of boyfriends and girlfriends.

I wondered if Axel would miss any of it...

"Whoa, this place is scary when no one's traveling," Axel said to me right when the both of us caught sight of the station. It was a huge building with an outer court that could stand the usual morning commute of a bazillion people. Leading up to the tall glass doors were a couple of thin stairs and just above that door was the word 'STATION' in huge, chipped letters.

I looked up and saw the tower that seemed to go on forever into the sky. The time on the large clock read two o'clock. I got used to reading the time even though there were so many gadgets blocking the numbers. It was up there under the huge bells that I used to hang out with my gang. Every summer vacation was the same: meet up in the alley, choose who buys the ice cream, buy the ice cream, eat some on the way to the tower and then finish the rest of it when we're there.

"Roxas, you comin'?"

I blinked and picked myself up off the floor. Axel was already some feet ahead of me, just about to climb the stairs.

"Yeah, I'm coming," I replied and followed right behind him. I looked up with a gloomy face right when I reached the first step.

"See ya, guys." I missed them all so much that it was killing me.

I stepped into the station center and held onto my injured arm with one hand after I felt some random goose bumps prick me underneath the bandages. That was the problem with this station: they kept the air conditioning on regardless of the weather. Axel already got to the ticket counter to our left and starting talking to someone I couldn't see behind the curtains.

"'Kay, thanks," Axel said the person and turned back to me with two wide, tickets in hand. When I got closer to him, I noticed that the color of the ticket was a dreamy swirl of orange, purple and dark yellow. Printed on both were the date, time, destination and train number. He was gonna take train number 3, the one that only left for other worlds and rarely came back.

I gazed down at the ticket with depressed eyes. "Someone told me that train's haunted."

Axel scoffed and slapped a hand on my back, turning both of us toward the place where all the trains were held. "Don't believe that stuff. You can believe rumors about good kissers but that stupid thing doesn't mean anything."

I remembered the time he tied a knot in a cherry stem with his tongue. He told me that, if people could do that, it made them really good kissers. He said he didn't believe it but, after that one night, I guessed he changed his mind.

Ahead of us were three trains. Numbers 1 and 2 were painted orange and yellow while train number 3 was painted blue and purple with yellow stars and moons. It was really pricey to ride that train since it took hours for it to run on the track. We walked right past it and eventually we stopped in front of train number two, the one that took passengers to Sunset Hill. I stared at it as the door flung open right in front of me. These trains didn't have drivers to operate them.

"We're...going somewhere?" I asked, cautiously. Axel nodded down at me and smiled even though his eyes still looked sadder than sad.

"Sunset Hill."

"But why...what're we...?"

He chuckled and put and finger to his lips. "You'll see."

I drew in a deep breath and, legs shaking, stepped onto the empty car with him following behind. The door instantly flew shut as we moved further inside and began figuring which seat to take. Right when I chose these two in the middle under a window, the train gave a huge jump and started gaining speed.

"We're running away, aren't we, Axel?" I asked once the train got dark after we went through the exit tunnel.

"Just for a day." Right when the darkness crept out of the train and out through the windows, I saw that we were literally pressed together even though there was so much space on the seats beside us. Before long, Axel had one hand squeezing my left knee.

This was about to be one of the longest train rides I would ever go on...not to mention the bumpiest.

xxXXxx

"Mmnh, we're here," I said right when the train came to screechy turn and stop. Somewhere along that ride, both of us took advantage of the fact that we were all alone on that train. So much for my khakis; they were all crinkled up. It was just a _tiny_ kissing session, nothing more.

I pulled my lips away from him and managed to stand up even though my legs still felt sea sick. Was kissing this much a bad thing? Did it make me a player or something? Well, not really since I wasn't cheating on anyone. Whatever it was, I felt pretty gross about it but at the same time, amazing.

Axel helped me up and led the way to the door as it unlocked and flew open again, revealing a totally different side of Twilight Town beckoning for us outside. This part of town was where all the rich kids people lived, like Kairi and Namine. He paused there for a while then smirked with his head facing the ground. I stared at him unthinkingly.

"'Kay, let's go! Don't fall back!" Without a second to think, I felt my whole body flung forward by my right wrist. I looked down with my mouth wide open to see that Axel had me by a death grip and was dragging me to who knows where. Even though I didn't know, my legs just went on running like they knew where to take me.

Around us, the rest of the town flew right by; the people, the houses, the air...all in a flurry of colors they sped right past us. I didn't even get a chance to look back and see the train leaving for the station again. Seriously, were we ever gonna get back home?

"Axel! W-wait up! Hey!"

"Just keep running! We're almost there!" He yelled back at me, laughing playfully in between breaths. It was hard to believe that he had even been hurt.

"There? Where? Where's there?! Hey, are you listening to me?! Hey!" I heard the sound of running water rush right past my ear and when I turned my head to the side, I was already too late to see what it was. I felt the ground beneath me rise and I knew that we were running up a hill. We started to slow down right when we were midway up. I was glad we did since these two kids and their dog were staring at us weird. Of course, they've never seen two guys hold hands before...crap.

"Hah...told...you we...we were close." Axel still didn't let go of my wrist and went on leading me up to the very top, panting like he'd just run a marathon. I walked, breathing hard too, and let the sound of a guitar suddenly catch my attention.

"Don't wear yourself...out, ok? You're still hurt."

Axel slowly turned around to look at me and smirked cockily. "Wait'll you see this place. You'll forget about all that."

_"_The guitar ahead of us came to a closing strum and, curiously, I looked around Axel's back to see what'd been playing that sound anyway. I gasped when I saw a familiar person glance over their shoulder at the two of us, holding that guitar to the side with a long Popsicle stick poking out of their mouth.

"Ah! AXEL! ROXAS!" The stick fell out of their mouth instantly.

xxXXxx

"So, you didn't forget about us after all, did you?" Axel asked, unwrapping a Popsicle bar.

I stared down at mine, already unwrapped, and licked it a couple of times. After all, Sea Salt Ice Cream was my favorite...for _many reasons_.

"Please, I'm not that kind of person, you know?" Demyx answered back. He wasn't all too snappy about it, though, since the sudden events must've turned him from cheery and flowery to sleep deprived. He took the stick out of his mouth and started strumming a bit on his guitar with the end of it. He was extremely good at it.

"So that means you've heard about..." I got cut off.

"Zex...yeah." Demyx stopped strumming upbeat and started playing some low noted 'break up' song. He was looking out at the sun while he did it. "He actually called me up so I could see him at the hospital. After I visited him, I wanted to see you guys but visiting hours were over and the nurses kicked me out after seeing me wandering around the hallways."

He paused from playing and reached into a plastic bag, pulling out another Popsicle bar. "You have no idea how messed up I've been since I heard about all this." He unwrapped the ice cream and bit a huge chunk out of it. "Seriously, I've been forcing down ten of these things everyday." Judging by the pile of sticks next to me, that wasn't all too hard to believe.

I was actually surprised that Demyx would be so collected about death. Even when he asked us if we were ok he only patted our arms and offered us ice cream. This couldn't be the same Demyx I knew.

I was about to take another lick of the ice cream but, instead, left it held in my lap. "I get what you mean."

"See, I've been trying to get a hold of Marluxia but his phone keeps coming up dead. I dunno where in the heck he is or where in the heck he's been for the past hundreds of days. I doubt he even cares about pain, huh?" Angrily, Demyx bit another large chunk out of the ice cream before kicking a huge cloud of dirt into the air. "I bet he's just waiting for the world to fall on him and give him pain too so he can find something to do with his life. Pft, honestly! What a prat! Where _is_ he?!"

I kept quiet while Axel just 'tsk tsk'd at Demyx. I looked and saw him leaning casually against the fence that prevented people from falling off the hill. The sun behind him fell over him like a halo. In the distance, a train slowly moved along a track and disappeared behind a crowd of orange buildings. Soon...I knew it: Axel would disappear too...only, maybe he wouldn't show his face again. I swallowed and nearly choked myself.

"Didn't you know? Marly's gone on a long family trip. He won't be back for a long time."

I nearly spit out my ice cream. Liar!

Demyx rubbed the back of his head and licked the Popsicle stick clean, setting it with the rest of the ones just like it at his side. "Couldn't tell the rest of us, could he?" He sounded like a little kid the way he whined about things.

"Ah, you know Marly. He's not much of a vocalist."

I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand while watching Axel occasionally stare it his ice cream before baby-sucking it. Don't get any thoughts, Roxas. Truthfully, I wondered when Demyx would find out about Marluxia being in jail. Most likely, Demyx would run down to slap Marluxia before getting locked in jail himself. He was a great idiot.

"Oh, hey, Roxas come with me for a sec, will ya?" Beside me, Demyx wrapped the sling of his guitar around his shoulder then started picking up the pile of sticks on the bench.

"Oh, uhm..." I quickly checked Axel again. He was still standing there against the fence all smug like. I didn't want to leave him really...but if it was that important... "Yeah, ok. Something you wanna talk about?"

Demyx widely smiled and handed me the empty plastic bag where he put all the sticks in. "Not unless you wanna make small talk while helping me throw all this garbage away."

I gaped at him. What was I, his little bus boy? I just had to be so nice and stand up and start walking with him away from the bench. Behind me, I heard another train moving away from town before I could barely even hear it. As we both reached a garbage can towards the bottom of the hill, Demyx started tuning up his guitar again. I just listened...I knew this song from somewhere.

"Another turning...another turning point a fork stuck...in the road..." He started singing the lyrics to follow the broken strumming he was playing. I gradually tossed the sticks into the garbage while I listened to him curse at all the notes that sounded wrong to him. Heck, they sounded perfect to me. I turned around while he just stood there, staring forward while picking at the strings. He even knew the thing by heart.

He probably noticed I was watching and, wide eyed, looked at me. "I'm playing it for promotion and graduation at the end of the year. Zex..." He paused then started up again, "Zex was supposed to finish up the year book too. He was taking all these pictures and interviewing all the students...I guess he didn't really get to talk with you and Axel about it."

"No, no he...well, sort of." As I walked back up the hill, Demyx followed behind me like my own personal stereo system. He started from the very beginning of the song and eventually seemed to get the notes the way he wanted them. Finally.

_Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road _

_Time grabs you by the wrist, directs you where to go _

_So make the best of this test and don't ask why _

_It's not a question but a lesson learned in time _

_It's something unpredictable _

_But in the end it's right _

_I hope you had the time of your life_

Right when Demyx finished up congratulating himself at the end of those lyrics, we both reached the top of the hill. And, right when we got there, I stopped all over again. I ducked a little behind a bush but Demyx just stayed put, playing the rest of the song while looking at me like I was a criminal. I wished he'd stopped playing. It wasn't helping my mood right about now.

I couldn't say anything...why...why was she here? Why was she...?

Everyone was seriously stealing him away from me. What was worse was that one of those people had to be _her_..._Larxene_. Stab, _stab_...pull her away and run off home with or without Axel. Apparently, she really did love him...

* * *

**whee, teacher's gone, party's on...ooo, he's coming back. -duck- haha, duck...donald...duck...eh. XP**

**who knew demyx could be such a good singer AND a guitar player? ooo, mysteries. yes, larxene's back and i have no idea why...actually, i do! well, i dunno what she's doing...actually, i know that too. -slap- and that's coming up this saturday! kuku, un. not sure if that will end this story or not but i'll see what i can type up without killing my computer. whee! -hides from teacher- bye!**

**_laptop's almost out of battery...meeeeehhppp!! i hope i don't destroy the akuroku love. DX  
kokoro77 X3_**


	31. Chapter Thirty One: A plus

**-faint- nehhh...so...much...typing. need...sleep.**

**sorry for the wait guys! eh...-forces to get up- i've had homework, friends over and too much pulp blocking the flow of citrus in this chapter...(lemon block DX). anyway, those are my excuses! i dropped golf team so now i have more time to write, yes? ah, larxene's back and roxas is breaking all the 7 deadly sins...-counts- i think only 5 of them, really! XDD**

**oo...time to write the goodbye! haff fun...! i hope? -runs off- fwaaaiii!**

* * *

Chapter Thirty One: A+ 

No one could honestly say how seriously _broken_ I was feeling about this whole thing. And, truthfully, I was feeling pretty pathetic hiding behind a bush after I saw Larxene. What? Was it like I hadn't seen a girl in my life? No, that wasn't it. It's 'cause I hadn't seen _this_ girl so _close _to Axel.

Demyx's strumming abruptly ended and I looked up from the ground when he slung it back around his shoulder.

"What's wrong..."

I put a finger to my lips and shushed him. He spazzed a little and ducked behind the bush next to me. Was he blind?

"What's up?" He whispered, making the situation feel like something pulled out of a James Bond movie. When his arm bumped against the strings of his guitar, it gave off some banging note, and for I second, I thought that we were dead. I shrunk down just a little bit and waited before whispering back.

"I...uhm..." I couldn't force more out since I was so riled up. Demyx just looked at me before I eventually made up my mind to crawl out of the dirt and make up the lame excuse that I had tripped on my shoe laces...I didn't even have shoe laces. I kept on my knees, though, just letting Larxene...finish up, I guess.

Out of all things in the world, why did she have to just stand there and choose Axel to be with her? I didn't even see her run up that hill and I didn't even notice that she even existed anymore. I thought she was gone. But, there she was, literally clinging to him like he was her prized possession. I seriously wanted to rip her arms away so she wouldn't be able to wrap them around Axel's waist. Maybe I would've liked to turn her head another way so she wouldn't be able to bury it into his chest. Man, I wanted to just make her disappear.

I wasn't sure if I should be angry at Axel, seeing as he was just standing there like a pole. He wasn't even bothering to hug her back. Larxene didn't even seem to care. She must've been too busy obsessing over his cologne.

After what felt like hours, I finally found it in me to stand up once Larxene, almost unwillingly, let go of Axel. Demyx stood up from behind me and it was then that I started walking toward the two of them with my head turned slightly downward. Jealousy was a real pain sometimes.

"I just wanted to let you be the first to know...I'll just miss you a bunch." That's what I heard Larxene say with this tear jerker voice.

Axel didn't say anything. Neither did I. I wondered if they even noticed me yet.

Just when I was about to say at least a 'hi' to Larxene, she smiled all drama-like, and shakily, planted a soft peck at the corner of his lips. That ended it. I felt like someone had tripped me and stepped on me like dirt.

"I'd better go. I've still got packing to do." With that said and done, Larxene tightened one of her pigtails and dashed off towards me, her plaid school skirt flipping against her while she ran. She briskly waved at me and Demyx. Her face was pinker than the scrunchies in her hair and her smile stretched from ear to ear. Before I knew it, she was gone down the hill in a rush of pink clouds and sparkles trailing behind her. I swore I smelled AXE on her.

_"Oh, gosh, I did it!"_ She had whispered that when she ran past us.

"Hey, Axel! Did you know her?" Demyx giggled and walked ahead of me toward Axel, who was still an ice cube with his back turned from us.

Axel had his hand in his pocket and was getting lost in the ground. In his other hand was his ice cream that he still hadn't finished yet. "Larxene. Girl from...that one...place." He could barely even talk.

"Ohh, you mean Sunset Hill. Namine goes there. Apparently Namine's part of this goodbye party for one of her friends. I talked to her online last night."

I bit my lip and felt it trembling uncontrollably. This was supposed to be a 'me and Axel' time. We were supposed to spend this entire day running away. Now what? Now I just felt like running away by myself. Suddenly, I didn't need Axel. I didn't need him at all. It wasn't like I wanted to punch his lights out or anything. Ok, maybe a little. But it couldn't have been his fault that Larxene kissed him, hugged him and even stole most of his cologne away.

Nervously, I shifted my feet forward and back, thinking of what to do and where to go. Do I stay and pretend or do I turn my back and catch the next train home? It didn't make sense, but something was telling me that I should run even though I would end up seeing Axel later tonight.

With hands balled up into little fists, I forced myself to not cry. I wasn't a girl. I had to deal with this maturely. Crying only leads to gossip; people will think I'm trying to get attention. Now that I thought about it, I did want attention from someone...

"Hey, Roxas, you ok? You don't look so hot."

When I heard Demyx's voice, I already had my back turned toward the two of them. I stared down the hill and wondered if I should run or walk. Behind me, I heard another train curving along the tracks, possibly back to the station. That was it. I had to make this one.

"I...uhm...I'm just gonna walk around for a bit, ok?" I really was a snake.

"Huh? What for? Afraid the ice cream's gonna get to your thighs?" Demyx chuckled and plucked another guitar string.

I shook my head, a laugh stopping midway in my throat. At the time, laughing was pointless. I took one huge step forward and added some quickness into it. I didn't want anyone following me. "It's not that...it's not that." When I heard my own voice, I wondered if I sounded like a bastard. I didn't bother to try and fix it, though. When I get ticked, there's not much that can stop me. I talk and act before I think.

I shoved my hands into my pockets and gradually made way down the hill. The sound of Demyx's guitar wouldn't get the hell out of my head. It eventually got to the point where I yelled in frustration. Still, I kept hearing those lyrics playing like a record. Yeah, some time of my life.

I kicked up puffs of dirt while I dragged my shoes against the ground. I was picking up speed...faster and faster until I broke into the fastest and longest run of my life. Time and life sped right past me even though the voices and music kept up with me. Why wouldn't this just end? I didn't want to deal with this right now!

_"Roxas! Where're you...?"_

"Get off my back!" I yelled, not even remembering what pain I probably just caused when I did. Like I said, he didn't take things like that all too well. In fact, I began to slightly regret it when I skipped up stair after stair onto the platform. The train doors were ready and waiting for me, only this time I wasn't so hesitant. If I wanted life to go on, there were certain things I had to learn to accept...girls still exist in this world.

xxXXxx

I couldn't remember that last time I was this pissed off about anything. Sure, I got into pretty graphic fights with Sora in the past but I always figured that those would resolve in the next couple of days. Now what? This type of anger was way different. I was dealing with the rights and wrongs.

I saw that Larxene was hugging Axel and I even saw her get close enough to nearly kiss him square on the lips. The wrong thing was that my head was making the assumption that Axel _let_ her go on and do all of it. What was I thinking? This isn't right...but that thought was pushed back. I was too pissed off to feel disappointment in myself.

By the time I slipped back into the train station, my entire body felt strangely slow. I was the only one on that train. No one followed me and no one showed up to greet me back. The station was just as empty as a sheet of paper. Good, that just meant that getting back home wouldn't involve traffic. I was a short fused demon on foot.

While I sped walked through the town, I couldn't help but occasionally glance over my shoulder, thinking that someone was behind me, ready and waiting to either bark at me or trap me. Thinking about that just made me go on faster. I kept picturing that one little space in my room...I'd just shut myself up in there like I always used to do. Hopefully, Axel wouldn't be able to find me...

No matter how much I didn't want to think about him, I started missing him all of a sudden.

xxXXxx

Chocolate syrup is my best friend. I'm not sure where I got the idea that eating the stuff would help 'ease the pain'. I guess it was when I saw on the TV how teenage girls would eat through jars of ice cream and peanut butter after a breakup. Anyway, it wasn't like anyone in the house used the stuff. Mom was on some special no chocolate diet and Sora was more into soda and punching walls.

I'm just girlier than most, I guess.

Right when I got back home, I slowly walked toward the kitchen and reached up to the first cabinet where the chocolate syrup was in the way back of the shelf. I pulled it free and turned back toward the staircase, biting down so hard on my lip that it began pulsing. The whole time I was moving like a sloth. It felt like years before I was finally able to reach at least the middle of the upstairs hallway.

Sora's door was open a crack so I could see him and Riku sitting on his bed playing poker. Sora was losing and Riku was winning...and cheating. Mom and Arisa must've gone out to shop or whatever it was that girls did on their days off. For all I knew, they could've been shopping for new luggage for the trip next week.

"No, stop it," I snapped at myself. With the bottle of syrup still with me, I turned the doorknob and slipped into my room.

Just like I thought, that one little space in my room was there waiting for me behind all the laundry and tear stained pillows. I quietly shut the door with my back and guiltily stared down at the bottle I was carrying. I didn't want to remember the crying. I didn't want to remember running away. I just wished I could remember to forget.

With a heavy sigh, I dragged me and the bottle of death over to the right of the room where my closet was. When I got there, I carefully put a hand on the knob, slid the closet door halfway open and tried to push my way through the jungle of dangling clothes that I swear I hadn't worn in years.

At least the place didn't smell bad. Good, then I can socialize with chocolate without barfing. With a heavy, tired sigh, I carried myself to the left wall; the darkest part of the closet where I typically liked to hide. About ready to collapse, I pressed my back against the wall and slid against it until I was all scrunched up on the floor with my knees pulled into my chest.

"I'll just stay put 'til they find me." I popped open the bottle and shook it up before bringing it only an inch from my lips. "Hopefully not." With that thought, I used the tip of my foot to pull the door closed a bit more until I was finally comfortable enough to start drinking the stuff. Ugh, gross.

I almost choked after downing almost a cupful and pulled the bottle away from me. Boy, this was pathetic. I was like some crazy beginner alcoholic. I didn't wanna end up being like...like Arson, for example. If this was just chocolate, I wondered what it was turn into a few years from now.

I thought I was seriously over the chocolate stage. It was pretty abusive, I had to admit. Before I knew it, I couldn't do it anymore so I ended up recapping the bottle after one more swig. I cradled it in my lap and stretched my legs out a bit further against the dirty carpet.

No matter what I did, no matter what I thought or saw, I always thought back to Larxene. That girl was full of sins.

With a frustrated groan, I buried my face in my knees and shook my head this way and that, trying to forget. Forgetting was no easy business, especially when you feel some sugar high coming on. I hated jealousy...I hated...I hated almost everything about change.

I sniffed and softly closed my eyes, letting my mind try to settle things out on its own. I was hopeless ever since this change of scenery. Violence, death, drugs, prisons, sex...I admit, I was pretty sinful myself.

Sin two: Gluttony.

I ended up sleeping on that thought, the sugar high failing to help me up. I needed something more to bring me back to being..._being_...

xxXXxx

_"Roxas. Hey, Roxas. Roxas."_

Bring me back...to being...

_"Roxas."_

I sort of mumbled something to myself in my knees that I couldn't understand. It happens when you first wake up. Sluggishly, I pulled my head up and instantly met with nothing but darkness. In some random rush of adrenaline, I shot my head up and pressed my back sharply into the wall behind me, stupidly banging my head when I did it.

"Ah, crap," I hissed and started massaging my head. "What time is it?" I asked to no one in particular. I thought I was alone until that bonk on the head made me remember that there was a voice that woke me up.

_"What the hell did you think you were doing, Roxas?"_ That voice was followed by a raspy sigh that I could sort of feel on my shoulder.

Nervously, I moved my right arm away and held onto my other arm that was still wrapped up. As if it even hurt anymore...it was the whole pang of emotions that almost cut me in half. Nothing else really mattered. Uncomfortably, I made my knees touch each other and then rested my head against the wall again. I didn't want to look at him right now.

"Just..."

_"Just what?"_ He asked, edgily. Oh, now I was in for it. I squeezed my eyes shut then opened them again. Why'd it have to be so dark in here?

"...ran. I ran, ok? I'm sorry."

_"What'd you run away from?" _I felt something, maybe a leg, brush against my foot and I twitched.

"How'd you know I was in here anyway?" I asked, both sleepily and stubbornly. I was just making it obvious that I sort of hated him.

_"Trust me, I know you. You like being a little ant when it comes to hiding...hey, stop changing the subject. Why'd you run?"_ He slapped a hand atop my knee. I had to admit that I was getting really uptight. Maybe I was claustrophobic when it came to closets and Axel...combined, that equaled the near death of me. I suddenly felt the chocolate spike in my stomach before running right up my spine and through my chest.

"No reason."

_"Ok, look..."_ I looked to the right and watched as a shadowed hand reached out to the closet door and pulled it shut. Before I knew it, it was darker than dark. I could barely even see my own hand in front of my face. I kept getting this weird feeling that something, someone was watching me from all directions. Some new super power that Axel managed to gain?

_"There. Does that make you feel better?"_

"What? Better?"

_"Yeah. No one'll hear you. Come on, I know you ran because of something."_

"Axel," I sighed and looked in random directions, trying to pinpoint a spot to concentrate on. It was useless to talk to just a voice.

I wanted to see him.

It took some effort, but I forced my left arm to stretch over my head until I was able to feel a string sway against my fingertips. Carefully, I wrapped my fingers around the string and gave it a light tug.

Flicker, flicker...flicker...stupid light.

Finally, after about a thousand sputtering bursts, an almost dead, ginger light spilled into the tight space. The light really covered only half of the closet...just enough for me to see the ends of my feet, the piles of clothes and Axel's face.

It was weird being in here again. Ever since I hid myself in here like, what, five hours ago, I didn't get the chance to look around. Remembering why I hid in here in the first place, I carefully nudged the bottle at my right with my elbow and scooted it a little bit more behind me. Thankfully, he didn't seem to notice.

"Ok, look," I said, at least _attempting_ to defend myself. "I wasn't feeling well after I walked around so I got the next train and left."

Sin four: Laziness.

"Well, you should've gone back and told me." Axel briskly waved his hand in front of his face and turned his head to the side. Like some animal, he climbed over my feet before finally propping himself against the wall at my left. Now it was really getting hard to breathe.

"You..." I quickly lowered my voice. "You were busy talking to Demyx. You get to see me more than him, you know."

He scoffed and flipped a lose strand of hair that was dangling over his eyes. I could tell he just got out of water; maybe it was raining outside. Either that or he just took a shower and sprayed himself with another gallon of AXE. So, special occasion? I really felt like ramming my fist into him.

Sin five: Wrath.

Sin six: Jealousy.

"It was supposed to be just us hanging out, remember? Besides, Demyx would understand. The guy loves attention, sure, but he was too worked up about playing that guitar. He's a cotton ball, I swear."

I was getting twitchy. I could tell he was staring right at me. Couldn't he put sunglasses on or something? No, that wouldn't work. That would just make me wanna rip them right off. I couldn't live without him looking at me. I had to be depressed...

I just 'hm'd in reply and stretched out my knees a little more. I ended up touching his leg when I did it. I bit my lip to stop myself from making a sound. Stupid chocolate was getting to me.

"So, what exactly are you doing in here?" Axel asked, steering off with an innocent voice.

I hesitated and elbowed the bottle again. I just hope he didn't see it. Sadly, I slightly turned part of my body away from him and brought my arms in closer to my body. My left arm was starting to fall asleep but I didn't really care. "Depress-ing."

"New vocab?"

"I used to do it a lot when I was a kid. I'd get in fights with Sora a lot and I ended up shutting myself in this closet." I looked above my head and saw a long shoe string that was tied off at the end of a light cord. That's what I used to turn the light on since I couldn't reach the real cord.

"Ok, so I get it. You got in a fight? Got upset about something? That's why you're in here right now."

Stubbornly, I half looked over my shoulder. What a smart ass! "I never said that!"

Axel sighed disappointedly and rolled his eyes. "What'd I do?"

"What makes you think that...?" Oh, right...the whole 'dad yells at me, dad's mad at me; people yell, people are made at me' thing. Roxas is so insensible. Upset with myself, I didn't say anything else. I was definitely thinking before I was talking. Can't make that mistake with Axel. It was hard to believe that he actually had the ability to cry...

"Didn't make you feel good, did I?" What made the situation worse was that he was starting to sound serious. Roxas is still insensible...

Then, without thinking, I reached behind me and pulled the tip of the chocolate syrup bottle out. I started opening and closing it while I tried to think of words to say. Axel probably heard the clicking noise. It was almost like something was forcing me to get his attention.

"Hey, what's that?"

Shit. Quickly, I stopped fiddling around with the bottle and shrunk over it. Don't see it...it wasn't there. You're just...sleepy. Yeah. Axel, you're just hearing things. "Nothing. I was...uh..." Oh, shit. No excuse, no excuse!

"No, come on, let's see it."

"No, I told you! It's nothing!" That defense just went in one ear and out the other for Axel. He pushed away from the wall and reached over to my side, literally hovering on top of me while trying to reach for something he couldn't see.

I protectively kept my arm over the bottle and squirmed a little to get him off. He just wouldn't and went on grabbing at it, occasionally tickling me in the side.

"Get your fat butt off of me! H-hey! Don't...stop it! Cut it out! That tickles!" Great, now he knew I was ticklish. Bad, Roxas, bad.

"Oh, right _here_?" He laughed out loud and forcefully started tickling me up the arm and on my sides. I tried not to laugh and only groaned evilly to cover it up. I went on rolling around on the floor like a rabid dog breaking out in fleas; a kid with a mad case of the chicken pox. I wildly kicked my legs around in front of me and shut my eyes, feeling my eyelashes getting soaked in tears.

"No, I mean...gah! No! I mean...s-stop it!" It was useless to say anything. I couldn't even sit up straight anymore. Some time later, I magically found myself with my back pressed against the floor and my head propped up against the wall. Well...this was uncomfortable...and I wasn't talking much about the tickling.

"Hah! Got it!" Axel cheered all happy-like with himself and used one free hand to grab the chocolate bottle and grab in free from behind my elbow. He lifted it to his face and turned it a couple times before be looked at me with one eyebrow raised.

I didn't say anything so I stuck my bottom lip out and glared at him. Keep it together...

"Alriiight...what's thiiiis?" He stretched out his words and tossed the bottle from one hand to the other. What a prat. He was acting like my mom.

I rolled my eyes and shook my head, which hurt since it was still rubbing into the hard wall. "It's...it's nothing." Lie, lie, lie. It's all I can do. I should open a business and sell people packs of lies. Really, when I lie this much, it's when I'm hurt the most. That's why I do it. That's why it's happening now. I'm hurt...and I can't show it.

Axel sighed and re-closed the bottle before holding it in his lap. I remembered that he was still sitting on my legs. Great, now they were falling asleep on me. "Roxas, what's going on?" He crossed his arms over his chest. I could tell he was taking this pretty seriously...he must be sick.

"I told you, I'm just depress-ing in the closet."

"Does part of depress-ing include chocolate bingeing?"

I sort of looked away for a minute. Anyway, I was starting to get a headache since my head was holding so much weight. The sugar inside me was gradually building up in my stomach, making the room fill up with an extreme heat wave. I wished the door was at least open a crack. But what would mom or anyone else say about Axel sitting on top of me...in a closet? It'd be better to keep the world locked out.

I lowered my eyes a little...a little more...a little more until they were completely relaxed. I hated being guilty...I hated being jealous. What did Larxene have that I didn't? Why did she have to make me run and hide? Hide and seek was a stupid game of love.

"Ok...ok, fine. I'm drinking chocolate," I admitted in a throaty voice. "But I stopped 'cause I felt bad about it."

"Hm. Roxas is going soap opera on me." I heard another click and, alertly, shot my head up until I was facing him again. He had opened the bottle up again and was staring down in it like he was expecting some magical genie to spew out. I started getting scared when I saw his face calming down after looking at the chocolate then me. Why is it that food and Axel can never mix well?

"I'm not dramatic," I said limply. I wasn't in the mood for comebacks and arguments. They might wake the whole town up...I didn't even know what time it was. For all I knew, it could've been three days since I last woke up. Man, I had to get out of here.

"Look, Axel, I gotta get up. Lemme...ow." Before I could even lift my head two inches, I ended up bumping back into the wall, staring at the ceiling and Axel while he demonically eyed me back. Did he force me back down? What if it was me? What...ah, I couldn't even think. A ghost maybe...

"Sorry. Not letting you run off again." Axel cocked his head slightly to one side. "Hey, we can talk to each other, remember?"

"Mm..." I sort of hummed back at him. I felt like a sitting duck. Everything was looking at me. The lights, the clothes, the doors...Axel especially. What was really targeting me? What was really making me shut away? What was...trying to bring me back?

"Come on...let's you and me...talk about it, 'kay?" Axel's voice didn't sound so into that thought. Talking...he sounded like he didn't even know the meaning of the word. All he seemed interested in was shutting the world out, shutting the lights off and getting lost in the dark. I stumbled around in his voice. I barely even noticed that the light dimmed extremely low..._who was doing this? _

"Yeah. I was just waiting for someone to notice I was gone." The closet looked like it shrunk about half its size. Now I really wanted out...everything was closing in and one thing was leading them. Oh, crap. I'm so dead.

"Good thing I found you then." Axel's laugh drifted in the closed space for a while getting closer every second.

"Good thing?"

"Yeah. 'Course. Otherwise there'd be none of _this_ left." I heard some liquid shake from all directions and I instantly recognized it as the chocolate. I panicked and felt like rolling around all over again. No, it's ok, Roxas. Nothing's gonna happen to you. _You're perfect_.

I sort of gasped out of random when I heard voices messing with my head. There was one that I couldn't recognize as my own. Now what? What was Axel planning to do, drink the rest of the stuff?

Nope. Completely wrong.

While I tried to get my head wrapped around one thought at a time, all of them abruptly short stopped. Pearl of wisdom for the day: _never give food to Axel when Roxas is around_. I could tell that Axel was touching my face; I could feel his hand moving behind my head. I couldn't tell what that runny thing was on his hand...that is, until I caught the smell of chocolate.

Murder me, _now_.

xxXXxx

"Hn?" Some response that was. It nearly got caught in my throat. It had every reason to do that, though. Gods, Axel had chocolate on his hands and he was actually touching me with them. What was left of the sugar high in my gut told me to play along...just a bit. Another part told me to pretend to fall asleep; never wake up until he gets the idea. I was stuck on a fence.

I emptily looked ahead of me where I saw Axel leaning forward, pinning my legs down with his waist and constantly scanning my face as if he forgot me. Ouch, that would hurt. I guess it was that thought of forgetting that made me swallow and grab his wrist, the one he had pulled out to me.

"Something happened...right?" He asked, quietly and slickly. He rubbed at the corner of my mouth with his thumb. I could already taste the stuff when it touched my lip. I was so in for it.

"Uh-huh." I wasn't embarrassed to say it. With the hand I was holding him with, I pushed up with my thumb until I could feel thick drops of chocolate slide down my fingers and down my bandages. "I can tell you about it later."

"Promise?"

I nodded up at him with a weak curve forming on my mouth.

"Heheh, lucky Roxas." I think I heard him growl in that sentence somewhere. I wasn't sure what he meant by lucky but I didn't have the time to think it through. We got caught up in a kiss; an open, melted chocolate kiss. Axel kept venturing over to the corners of my mouth where the smudges of syrup were. I could taste it whenever he came back. With my stained hand, I had my fingers at his neck then on his face. I guessed that made it equal.

Things got more comfortable when Axel lifted my head up from the wall and helped me scoot my back up again. I felt his free arm prop up above my head for balance. With each of his legs on either side of me, I kept my feet pointed to each other under his pin. The sugar was fueling everything.

I kept wondering if it was a bad thing to keep making out with someone you really did care for. Did that make me a sex-crazer? What about Axel? I wondered if sex was starting to lose it's meaning...

While Axel's hand lowered to the very back of my neck, I found my way to his back where I inched up the back of his shirt like a curious snake. Right when my fingers felt the roughness of the bandages around his waist, I stopped moving. So much for that...

Axel stopped and looked down at me, eyes burning and mouth parted to breathe. It was right then that I noticed that he had moved his hand down to my shoulder where my own wound was starting. I hated remembering those things...it just made us seem unable to do anything.

Just as I thought about it, Axel shifted in my lap, digging his hips into my own. "Are you weak?" He simply asked me, as if nothing happened.

I didn't say anything when I thought I understood what he was saying. Carefully, I reached up further on Axel's back when he started curving it up, trying to act all sexy. When I found a loose piece of bandage, I tugged at it and starting pulling it away from his skin. Axel did the same with my arm and, little by little, began unraveling until the wounds were uncovered.

Axel grabbed at the bottom of his shirt and lifted it right off, showing me his half naked body that I remembered seeing tons of nights ago. Right above Axel's right hip was a thin, red scar with marks from old stitches. All around it was tinted orange from all the medication placed on it.

I glanced at my own which was pink and sort of fleshy where the bullet had only scraped me. Bandages were lying all over the place, covering up the dirty carpet with blotches of old blood. I didn't wanna look anymore.

"Don't count on it..." I answered and it only took me a second to pinpoint where I wanted to aim. With us both on our knees, I dragged my tongue around the spot on his neck where I had rubbed in the syrup. Axel dug his fingers into the top of my shoulders and I stiffened up when I felt my wound tingle. I let it go when I heard Axel almost hiss at me...in a good way. If that was working, then something else would. Something told me I had to do this. I had to make Axel forget...forget about other people..._she didn't matter_.

When I was sure most of the chocolate was gone, I ended up trailing down, crossing his shoulder blades, across his chest, through his stomach until I felt a jagged spot on my lips. I made sure to be gentle when I copied the scar mark with my tongue. The chocolate taste was replaced with blood. I still had this feeling like I could stop the pain.

"Ow...ah...hnn..." He panted above me. I could feel his body cringing beside me and I wasn't sure what to do. I stopped, feeling sort of ashamed, and pulled back up again to face Axel eye to eye. Just by looking at him, I knew he didn't want me to stop. But I had to.

I looked down and saw smudges of dark syrup smeared all over Axel's stomach. I guessed it was because my hands had managed to get all over him. I felt myself falling back again, this time with my head perfectly placed on the floor. Axel was careful to unzip my jacket and pull my shirt up and over my head. He tossed them behind him and slowly lowered his body down until I could feel the touch of the chocolate against me. This wasn't even intentional.

Normally, I would've considered this nasty beyond reason. I would've already found a way to bust out of the closet even if it meant breaking the doors down. I would've been in the shower by now, trying to find comfort in watching the bubbles swirl down the drain. But here I was: covered like some aftermath of a nasty cafeteria food fight...with someone sprawled on top of me.

All night stayed that way: laying down in the closet, forgetting. I really did forget about a lot. No more girls, no more school, no more change. Everything was gone. And, I guess that Axel was right. Cleaning up the chocolate was the best part.

Sin one: Lust.

We're all breaking the rules like we should.

xxXXxx

The next morning, I woke up right when Axel woke up: at nine AM. I could tell since the clock tower outside rang the bells nine times in a row. I could see yellow light trying to crawl underneath the closet doors, revealing a floor that looked like it was trampled by muddy shoes. I had my back turned away from Axel who was facing my back. Another priceless night...I didn't want to forget it, really.

I sped through a shower and made sure to rinse out all the streaks of chocolate on the tiles before letting Axel use it. We both ended up having to scrub out the stains in the closet...even though Axel sidetracked most of the time. He ended up taking the near empty bottle out of the closet and shoving it under my bed, saying that it was for memories.

Memories of melting chocolate...I shivered. I was seriously not the Roxas I used to know.

Days went by and soon the four of us were heading back to school again. We were pretty much prepared for the worst of questions and the worst of news reporters. Arisa bought Axel and Riku each and iPod. Axel's was apple green and Riku's was metallic silver. Whenever Axel and I walked around the house, we shared the headphones.

Memories of sharing music even when the headphones would fall out when one of us turned his head...

Seeing as the second trimester was almost ending, progress reports were scheduled to come in any day now. Sora was always jump outside in the morning at the mailbox, waiting to pull out his progress reports and alter them around before mom saw them. They eventually showed up on Sunday, the day before we were supposed to go back to school...

"Alright, let's see..." Mom said, pulling the envelope from Sora's shaking hands. Too late, she caught him.

Axel and I were sitting pretty scrunched together on the couch and Arisa and Riku were sitting on the floor playing some video game. Arisa was kicking Riku's butt 94 to 15. Arisa snickered and put the game on pause while Riku held his head in defeat. I guessed that was where Axel got all his cockiness from.

"Oh, grades?" Arisa asked, glancing over her shoulder at Axel and me. She looked like a wolf.

Axel turned the volume up on the iPod and I sort of snuggled in closer to him. Everyone in the house figured that we were best friends, nothing closer. I kept staring at that envelope while it suddenly grew fangs and bat wings, laughing like a vampire when mom ripped it open. Axel started bouncing his leg on the ground.

"Hm, ok, Riku first." Mom pulled out the first folded piece of yellow paper and unfolded it before handing it to Arisa. Arisa took it and glanced it over while chewing on the tip of her thumb. Riku looked at her through one eye and sneakily switched the game controllers while she wasn't looking.

Riku: math, B; science, A; PE, A; history, B-; photography, A; English, B; Sex Education, B-.

Mom pulled out the next one, Sora's. Sora slumped into an arm chair and hid his face in his hands.

Sora: math, C; science, B; PE, B; history, C; art, B-; English, C-; Sex Education, B-.

With all C's and B's, Sora literally floated out of his chair and collapsed on the floor with a giddy little squeal.

"Holy, crap! YES!" He screamed into the carpet. Yeah, he was ok. But what about me? Oh, man, judging by how much my math teacher wanted to stab me, how much I've been sent to the nurses office in PE, I thought I was done for.

"Ok, Roxas. You next." Mom almost took forever to pull the slip out of the envelope. She ended up pulling out Axel's too which she tossed over to Arisa. "Here, let's read both." Yay?

Axel consciously turned the music down so low that I missed my favorite part of the song. I felt like slapping him. I kept my fingers crossed and curled my toes. Axel's leg went on bouncing even faster than before. This was worse than coffee and chocolate combined.

Roxas: math, C+; science, C+; PE, A; history, B-; art, B; English, C

Axel: math, C; science, B; PE, A; history, C-; art, B+; English, C+

They both stopped reading it right before the last class. What, what? Did we fail? What the heck?! Just read the damn...!

"Sex Education 101, A+," Mom said, half uneasily and half happily...if that was even possible.

"Axel...Sex Ed 101, A+. Wow, you guys know your sex facts." Arisa laughed and slapped the floor when she did. Apparently, sex had a lot of strange meanings and no one took in seriously.

Oh, yes, we knew our facts...it was sex in general that we could major in. After this week, that grade would somehow drop to an F...I knew it. When he would leave...so would my grades. 7 days in the calendar...and they were dropping fast.

* * *

**-sob- axie...DON'T LEAVE MEEEE! maybe in the next chapter he might. not sure tho...ehhh...ever since this process of writing this emoness, i've been having dreams about axel. bad signs! hm, maybe i'll get around to typing some of those out on the my profile soon. but but...they make me sad. he got cut off american idol...don't ask! DXX**

**anyway, better go! i'd type more but my parents are saying to sleep! nighty! ...too much lemon and chocolate? i'm so sorry! i'm really bad at this every time...oh, well. that's why there's practice. -nod- X3  
**

**_now i crave chocolate milk...mooooo  
kokoro77_**


	32. Chapter Thirty Two: It's Called Goodbye

**Author's note: -slaps self- i'm so, so, so, so, so sorry that i haven't updated in a while on this story. recently, i've been getting mixed up with different things along with writing. i've been trying to do as best as i can with getting this written. emotional chapters are almost as difficult as lemons. -dies- **

**i tried so hard to get this chapter done. last week, i was gone at san francisco (again XP) without internet and without my stories. i nearly died. DX then, the week before, i was spending three days at an anime convention. i'll get around to talking about that later, neh? XD let's just say, kissing photoshoots are fun...yet scarring. XDD**

**i'm really sorry...-hides behind axel and roxas action figures- (finally bought them...kukuku) eh, what am i saying? i can't be happy right now. 3X goodbyes hurt...a lot. even sporks can't level with it. DX is this ze end?**

* * *

Chapter Thirty Two: It's Called Goodbye 

I didn't think I'd ever wear this thing again...my uniform I mean. I guess that's a stupid thing to think, though. After all, no kid can run away from school forever, no matter how much we desperately wish we could.

Black. The uniform's black. Shirt, pants...even the tie is starting to lose its clean, white color. Normally, I wouldn't notice this stuff after hearing about how great my grades were. But, considering that there's some assembly at school today, all I can think about is change...in a bad way.

I literally flung the closet door wide open. I didn't really want to look at the carpet and the smudges staining the wall. I held my breath and, without looking, shoved my hand inside and yanked the uniform free from a hanger. I slammed the door shut and groaned when I started breathing again.

"Axel..." I muttered, purposely throwing the clothes right on him so they'd cover his head. He twitched and shook his shoulders a bit. How in the hell can he sleep through morning talk shows? "Come on, we've got school."

It was kind of weird that he was sleeping in my bed. I was supposed to sleep on the floor, but things didn't really turn out that way. Besides, there were probably some freaky animals living in the carpet.

"Mnn, whyyy?" He whined into the pillow, pulling the pants over his head. He probably thought it was the blanket.

I rubbed my eyes and kicked the radio off with my foot. "'Cause, I think that you care enough to keep your Sex Ed grade at an A+, right?" I put one knee on the edge of the bed and reached forward for the clothes again. I quickly pulled off my shirt and tossed it on the floor. So much for cleaning.

_"Roxas, what're you doing? Let's go! You've got school!"_ Mom pounded on the door and jiggled the door handle. I've been keeping the door locked lately...just in case.

"Tell Axel to get up, mom..."

_"I'm sure you two can handle yourselves."_

"Ugh, but he's taking forever."

_"Roxas, if you don't hurry up, Sora'll end up taking the bathroom and you know how long he takes. Plus, your waffles'll get cold."_

"Hm? Are you serious?!" Right when mom mentioned the 'plus' part, the bed started shaking to a point where I thought that the bed would crash through the floor and into the kitchen. Even if it did, I was pretty sure that Axel would care less. Why, oh, why...did mom have to go and do that...what was I saying? This was perfect! At least it got him out of bed and on the floor...more like on the ceiling.

A little smirk curved on my face while I watched him push the covers away and throw his feet out of bed. Behind the door, I heard mom sigh pretty happily before I heard her footsteps go down the hallway. At least it was good to know that there was some humor in the morning, even if I already guesstimated that today would turn out like a crapshoot.

"You heard her, Axel," I said, leaning over the bed to grab my clothes. I wrapped them over my arm and started walking to the door. "Might as well make the best of..." I was about to say 'make the best of this week' but I figured that I might upset him. I shook my head and went on walking.

"Hey, Roxas."

I stopped right when I had my hand on the doorknob.

"I get it. I get it," He said, quietly. I didn't know if he had more to say to me since I was already out of there, pressing my back so hard against the door that I felt that I could break the wall down.

"I wish you didn't get it...I wish you didn't."

xxXXxx

"Burn 'em."

"Excuse me?" Mom called in from the kitchen. She was busy hovering over the stove.

"You've gotta burn the waffles. It's the way he likes it." I looked up from the table and picked at the waffle on my plate with a fork. Geez, the thing was like a rock, no joke. "On second thought..." I forced the fork through it and plopped it on the plate in front of where Axel was sitting. "You have it."

I didn't look at him when I said it, but something in the room hinted to me that he was smirking at me. Waffles...some special sign of a love hate relationship. I wondered if they'd work as a good birthday present, too.

"Thanks," He whispered sort of smugly and nudged me in the leg with his foot.

I turned back to my plate and stared down at the last waffle on it; another pretty much charred brick. I figured that mom could make food from scratch but when it came to the already made stuff, she was no Martha Stewart. Across the table, Sora was busy soaking his waffle with half a bottle of syrup and Riku was literally painting on buckets of butter on his. It's hard to believe that these guys are even fit.

I always keep my waffles plain and simple. Why change things? Why let the world tell you how to butter a waffle and all that? Change sucks...any kind of change sucks.

"Boys, you'd better hurry it up! School starts ten minutes early today, remember?" Mom called again before, most likely, going back to burn something else.

"Yeah, Roxas. You're such a slow eater." Sora pushed away from the table and slipped into the kitchen, Riku floating behind him. Didn't they _just_ start eating two seconds ago? I eat like a girl.

I rolled my eyes at Sora and took this huge bite out of the waffle. I didn't care that I would most likely end up throwing it up later since it tasted so weird. Pretty soon, it was all gone; plain and simple. I pushed away from the table and, after putting the plate in the kitchen, walked into the living room where I saw Arisa holding the door open, letting what was left of winter pour inside. Winter went by so slow...

"Boys, come on, let's go, let's go!" She crossed her arms and slightly smirked down at me and Axel when we got to the door, backpacks and all. I swear, when you got to know her, she was just as cocky as Axel; maybe even more. Sora and Riku filed in behind us and, after all the goodbyes were said and done, all of us made it out into the streets.

Goodbye...goodbye...it hurts to hear and say it.

xxXXxx

We definitely didn't enter the same school that we attended back in fall. Everything changed. Wherever we walked, people would take a step to the side and bow their heads. Yeah, there were tons of people that asked how we were, but after that, they didn't say anything more. All the hallways were so quiet that I thought I was walking through a cemetery.

Sora and Riku took a smooth turn to their hallway and Axel and I went on walking...walking down what felt like a different hallway, a different world.

I was scared.

A huge wave of people acted like a shadow behind me and Axel; taking steps in rhythm with each other. There were teachers left and right that were dressed in nothing but black. This time, I wasn't hallucinating; the female teachers were wearing black dresses and the guys were in suits, even Mr. Strife.

Right when I locked eyes with him, he narrowed his eyes and, for the first time in my life, I saw him loosen up his face and actually show some compassion for us in his stare. I could hear a piano playing from every direction. I almost wondered if I was even alive anymore.

"Keep it together, 'kay?"

I snapped back and looked over to my right where I saw Axel staring down at me. We stopped right in front of two double doors and just stared forward. I looked to the floor and sort of squeezed tighter onto the strap of my backpack.

"It's hard..." I whispered back.

"Roxas...let's make it easy." I felt like I could fall into space when he said that. Something about the atmosphere made me want to hug him really badly.

_"Boys, no shoving when you get into the gym. I want do talking either. Understood?"_

Once the swarm of students answered back to some unknown teacher, the doors swung open and the piano playing vibrated in my chest. To my left, a school picture of Zexion greeted me inside the dark gym. I felt like turning back and running.

xxXXxx

I at least expected _some_ talking to go on. A murmur, a peep...something to happen. After all, this was a school full of boys with more gossip in one sentence than some celebrity magazine. Instead, all that filled the room was the sound of scuffling footsteps and a slow piano piece.

In the center of the gym was where I caught sight of a silver, electronic piano with a couple of candles sitting around its legs. Those candles were really the only bit of light in the gym.

When Axel led me further away from the piano, the harder it was to see. I was afraid I'd end up tripping and ruining the whole moment. Luckily, Axel was mature enough to pull me gently and seat both of us somewhere in the middle bleachers where the rest of the 9th grade was. I set my stuff down on the floor and rested my hands in my lap, feeling Axel's shoulder nudge me in the side.

"You ok?" He whispered. I knew he'd end up breaking the rules of no talking.

I nodded and glanced up a bit at the piano display again. From where we were sitting, we had a perfect view of this one picture that was standing right beside the piano. Zexion wasn't smiling, like usual. He just kept his one eye facing casually away from the camera...I almost thought he would look right at me and start talking.

He's dead...I had to remember that.

It felt like hours before the last of the students were in their seats, unmoving and silent. Even the piano stopped on one dead note. It almost felt uncomfortable to hear a pair of footsteps drag across the floor once that last minute of silence ended. The steps wandered over to the piano and revealed to the crowd who they belonged to...

"...Marly?" Axel gaped when Marluxia stepped into the light of the candles. My eyes widened and all I could do was stare directly at Marluxia while he stood behind the podium and nodded off at someone to the side. He was acting as if nothing happened. I was beginning to wonder if anything did. But this was really him. I'd notice that pink hair anywhere.

"There was something about Zex that I could never put a finger on. There was just something in his personality that made him the perfect friend, leader and even parent." He started in a clear, promising voice. This couldn't have been...is this really him?

I straightened up and clenched my hands into fists. I wasn't mad or anything. I was just feeling pressure build up in my throat again. Hold it...hold it together.

Marluxia continued. I almost felt that he was looking straight at me and Axel through the dark. "I knew him...ever since he and I were starting out middle school together. We started a great group of friends...broke all the rules. But Zex always made us piece our wrongs back together to make them right. That's how dedicated he was to me...to the people he knew. He never wanted people to be hurt even though he didn't show it all the time." He looked down at the podium and shut his eyes a couple of times. I could tell he was trying to keep it together too.

"Uhm...I didn't get the chance to visit him...before he died. I heard about all the accidents and...and all the situations that happened that caused him to die. He...didn't deserve it. No one that night deserved what they got."

I choked and had to duck my head down to stop. Beside me, Axel moved in closer to me and I could tell that he was staring at me. What was he waiting for? Waiting for me to cry? To scream? To get up and run?

"Zex wanted the best for all of us. So that's why I feel that I should be here to speak up. Since I couldn't fit in a goodbye while he died, all I can do now is make the best of this goodbye. Zex should know that there won't be a day that his friends'll forget about him. He should know that we'll always need him...and that we can always call for him when we need to." He really was looking straight at Axel and I while he talked. I couldn't see his face, I could just feel it...his words were getting me pretty deep. He was getting stronger with each word he said.

"Zex, there's a lot I wanna say to you, got it? I just want you to know that goodbye won't be the last you'll hear from me."

Right when Marluxia finished, there were several soft claps in the bleachers around us. No one yelled and no one held back. I wasn't even sure if Marly was even done. He just shut his mouth when the clapping started and looked in the direction where he had come from. I normally would've joined everyone else but I thought my fingers would fall off if I tried. Everyone really did change.

_Goodbye... _

The way Marly said it just added to the depression of the definition. I could tell jail time literally choked his voice box; even his heart. He sounded like someone had been holding him underwater for hours and hours until his voice started floating off in bubbles.

I couldn't remember how many days it'd been since Axel and I left him there...I started feeling really, _really_ guilty. I started feeling like the water that held him under for so long and that stole his voice. I wondered how he magically was able to get at least a bit of his life back.

"Just for the last bit here..." Marluxia added, leaning closer to the microphone so that it almost looked like he was chewing on it. "Dem..." He quickly cleared his throat.

"Hold it, Marly," I heard Axel whisper.

I nodded a bit to agree to that. Hold it. Don't lose yourself again...not when you're out of that hell hole.

As if he heard us and saw us nod at him, Marly sighed deeply and rolled his shoulders confidently before leaning toward the microphone again. "Demyx is gonna take the last few minutes to play Zex off." He carefully inched away from the podium and, right when he did, the spotlight dimmed and refocused to where the piano was; where Demyx was sitting on an old, blue school chair with his guitar sitting in his lap.

The room stayed quiet while Demyx, with the same faux-hawk and unusually clean uniform, rested the guitar protectively in his arms and began to strum, staring at his converse while he moved them to each note he played. I never heard the song before...but something about it made me feel like I should've.

_How can I repay you brother mine?  
How can I expect you to forgive? _

Demyx was making it seem like the death was his fault. Why would he feel that? He wasn't the one that pulled the trigger. If that's the case, then why do I feel responsible? I wasn't the one either...why does guilt hit everything else but the target...?

_  
Clinging to the past I shed our blood,  
and shattered your chance to live. _

Though I knew the laws I paid no heed.  
How can I return your wasted breath?  
What I did not know has cost you dear,  
For there is no cure for death.

That was true. No matter how much people wish for death to reverse itself, it goes against the laws of life. I looked over at Marluxia who was standing beside the podium with his tired eyes glued to Demyx. I could tell he was thinking the same thing. I looked back to Demyx, his voice still drifting through the gym like some last bit of hope. He always had the ability to get the song just right: emotions and all.

_Don't cry for the past now brother mine,  
Neither you nor I are free from blame.  
Nothing can erase the things we did,  
For the path we took was the same._

We can't retrace our steps and stop our past selves from pain. We can still reflect on the pain...

_So where do we go from here?  
And how to forget and forgive?  
What's gone is forever lost.  
Now all we can do is live. _

Live...all we can do is accept living and continue doing it. It's the one thing that we're automatically born with: a life to live. I guess I overlook that a lot. Demyx played one last note and let it echo through the dark. Scattered claps tried to throw that note away...I could still hear it in my head. I could still feel it on my skin.

_"You're all dismissed."_

I looked up from the floor right when I heard a teacher's voice go through the speakers. One by one people started talking, gossiping, rumoring. One by one, the gym lights started switching back on and all the guys flooding out the doors groaned when it hit them. Everyone's mostly back to normal.

I ended up staying put in my seat while everyone else shuffled away. I didn't even know that Axel was still next to me, watching me even. I felt his hand pat my back and I slowly turned my head to him, narrowing my eyes to keep tears from falling.

"Sex Ed," He said, cocking his head towards the exit doors. I blinked slowly and was about to get up with him before I heard footsteps making way behind me. I figured it was a teacher getting ready to lecture us for being the last to leave.

_"Hey..."_

Axel quickly looked up, looked surprised for a second, before pulling off a pissed off face. Actually...he couldn't have been faking. His eyes never burned like that. "Marly."

xxXXxx

"Jail spit you back out, didn't it?" Axel said, pressing his back against the cement wall just outside the cafeteria. I sat on the ground, throwing pebbles at a leaf. Marluxia was standing fairly far from us with his back turned from us and his hands hidden in his pockets.

"Kind of."

"Well, details. Let's hear 'em." I felt Axel's foot tap impatiently on the ground beside me. Don't tell me he was mad at Marly for getting put in jail? I didn't see anything right here. Wasn't that supposed to be a good thing?

"Ok, look. They found out that those other offenses weren't done by me."

"Which ones? The ones that we all did?"

I swallowed. Great...did that mean that Axel and Demyx were gonna end up in Juvie now? Why'd they have to go off and light things on fire anyway?

Marly sighed roughly and halfway turned to face us, the wind behind him pushing his hair to one side. "They figured that my finger prints weren't enough to convict me."

"And...what about that rape case?"

Pang. I wished he didn't bring that thing back up. Olette...I haven't talked to her in forever. I bet Haynernnnnnn I forget all about the ones I made before. I was confused...I didn't want to hate Marluxia. But I didn't want that rape thing to be real.

"I..." Marluxia pulled one hand out of his pocket and rubbed his cheek. Eventually, I caught his eyes glancing my way. Something was up. "...I lied."

"What?" Axel almost hissed that. He moved away from the wall. I almost got up and ran. His voice was scaring the crap out of me.

"It wasn't me that did it. The cops caught the real guy...he was the one that made me tell the police it was me who did it. He's the one I bought the drugs from."

"Who? Who's he?"

Marluxia carefully shook his head.

Truthfully, I had to know, too. Who? If it wasn't him then _who_? This cleared the fact that I didn't have to force myself to not be mad at Marly. But now I could be mad at him if he didn't say, if he hid it from me for his own benefit. I pulled all my nerves together and got up from the ground with Axel, shaking something awful, right next to me.

"Do you know who did it?" I asked calmly. I didn't want a fight or anything.

Again, he shook his head.

"Was that a 'no, I don't know' or a 'no, I don't want to say'?" Axel snapped, violently flinging his hands in the air.

"Axel..." I cautiously turned a bit to him while almost giving him a lecture voice. I was freaking out beyond reason. While I watched his hands fly around, I got this feeling that they'd end up hurting someone. I looked around...just the three of us. So that made either Marly or me ending up on the ground with a bloody nose.

"No as in...as in I...it's not that I don't want to say." Marluxia kept twisting his fingers and just wouldn't look at me or Axel directly while he talked. He was horrible at covering up secrets. I wondered if it was possible for someone like Marly to break down and cry too. I eyed Axel in the corner of my eye, scanning over his face, eyes, mouth and all. Why was he so set off? If he can cry, then he can beat the hell out of something too.

"Marly, it's ok. It's not like you'll get hurt, will you?" I asked quietly so that our conversation wouldn't echo through the school. If someone caught us, we'd be busted on the first day back.

When he didn't answer quickly enough, I figured that he was trying to save his gut by not saying anything. I knew one thing: the person that really raped Olette had a high reputation around here. But I had to know something. A name...one name was all I needed to hear.

It took a while before Marluxia drew in a shivered breath and turned his head up to stare at the purple wisps in the sky. He wasn't usually this edgy. I guessed it's what jail and drugs can do to people. "Man, you've gotta believe me...you...you're..."

"What, did I do it?" Axel raised his voice in sarcasm. Harsh.

"Axel," I lightly snapped. "We're not starting this."

"I'm not starting anything with..."

"Your dad! Ok? You're dad forced me into lying! He forced me to pin the rape case on myself."

My eyes sharply widened and my blood started running cold, almost as if I'd just watched a mass murder before me. I quickly brought my hand up to my mouth and bit down on the tip of my thumb nervously. Did I even hear that right? Ok, so it was believable that Arson was a violent guy...but I didn't think that he'd have the guts to do that to a girl...I didn't think any guy did.

Some feet away from my side, Axel let out a quick "Huh?!" before turning his eyes to curse at the ground. He didn't look like he believed it either. That was weird. I couldn't pin point exactly what emotion he was feeling just now. THAT was weird.

"Look, Axel...I'm not a liar. I know what I heard. I know what I did." Marluxia put a hand on his chest and took one step toward us. Huge mistake. Stupid mistake, stepping on a bomb like that. I couldn't count how long it took before I saw him spin halfway around and hit the ground in a pained groan. I couldn't count how long he stayed there, his hair fully covering his face in a dirty mess. I bit down on my thumb harder and longer.

Marluxia held himself up with one arm and carefully touched the edge of his mouth where it was starting to puff up. He stared disbelieving at Axel who had his fist pulled in front of him. "You punched me...!" He breathed.

"Don't bullshit me," Axel spat. I just thought that Axel was bullshitting himself. With that one punch, I figured he just lost someone close to him...someone that was trying to come back to us. I stood beside myself while I watched Marluxia pull up on his feet and turn away. Then, he ran. Ran and ran until he turned the corner and slipped away. And here I was, thinking that our class wouldn't have two empty desks today.

After a few seconds, Axel released his fist and turned around to look at me looking at him. Man, I was shaking like crazy but I wasn't sure if he could see me. I stopped biting my thumb when it started getting cold on my teeth.

"Class...I'm going," I said solemnly before taking a step backward and turning around to the hallways.

_"Roxas...Roxas!" _

I don't trust change anymore. Please, Axel, don't bullshit me.

xxXXxx

That morning, no, that whole school day was the slowest out of all of the ones I've suffered through. Mrs. Lockhart didn't really mind that Axel and I were late to class. She just wrote us down in the attendance list, asked about Marluxia and nodded when Axel said he went home sick. I didn't glare at him for lying. Heck, I didn't even look at him all class period. For the first time in my life...I was admitting to being truly mad at him.

During lunch time, I finally found Hayner and Pence sitting by themselves at a corner table. I scooted in next to Pence and he stole half of my chips from me. Just like it used to be. We laughed and gossiped. I actually participated this time in the gossip line. They were still talking about girls and stuff but they still talked about Axel and his gang even more. I actually participated again.

All week was slow. Everything felt the same. I didn't talk to Axel much even though he tried hard to get my attention. Marluxia still didn't come back to school.

Friday: By the end of the day...I regretted everything. _Everything_. Everything happens today, remember?

I kicked Hayner's locker shut while the last of the students started filing out of the hallway. I didn't go to basketball practice since Mr. Strife nearly made me fall over on my back when he insisted that I rest up for another week before running around.

When there were literally no people around, I tucked my Sex Ed book under one arm and took one step to the left before getting pulled back.

"What the?" I looked down then behind me. Aw, crap. I shut the locker door on my shoelace. I rolled my eyes and bent down to try and yank it out. When that didn't work, I stood back up and tried pulling my foot away a couple of time but it wouldn't budge. I wish I remembered that stupid locker number.

"Ugh, I don't have time for this!"

_"Roxas, you ready to head out?" _

I stopped my foot from pulling back again and slowly brought it back to the floor. I lightly sighed and cleared my throat without bothering to answer back. I wondered how long it would take for him to notice that I was purposely trying to not look/talk to him. All day I kept wondering why I was mad...I guessed I knew why now.

"We'd better head off to your place before it gets dark, y'know." He didn't sound like he cared at all. We could go home at two o'clock tomorrow morning and it wouldn't matter to him.

Again, I didn't say anything and, instead, paid attention to my stupid shoelace. I put down my textbook and bent down on one knee to try prying the locker open.

"Uh..." Axel droned.

Pull this way...ok, no. What about this way, then? No. Dammit. Up, down...what the hell does it want me to do?

"Look, Roxas, if you're upset..."

"Upset? Upset, Axel?" I kept my voice soft for now, just talking straight at the floor.

"Uh...yeah."

I chewed on my bottom lip and little and slapped a hand down on the cover of my text book. I stood up straight and still didn't turn around to look at him. I'd just have to talk to nothing. Right now, he felt like nothing to me...and I hated it.

"You're right. We should just go home right now."

"Roxas..."

"Axel," I shot right back at him, my voice still miserable.

"Roxas, we can talk about, alright?"

"We _can_ talk about it. But we really shouldn't, ok?"

"If it's what'll make you a little less tense..."

"Who says I'm tense?" I caught my voice raising.

"I know you. Talking things out works for you."

"How do I know if you won't just punch my lights out for talking truths to you?"

He paused and, being the ever-so-curious me, glanced over my shoulder and saw him staring at my back with curiosity too. He reached out a hand to my shoulder and managed to turn me around to face him.

"Marluxia was different."

"How?" I whispered. "What'd he do? Did he say the speech wrong?"

"No, that's not it."

"Then what?"

"Roxas, that guy's been hiding things from us! He's been going against our whole friendship. Now he's going off saying that my dad was the one that took advantage of Olette. You expect me..."

"But he's your friend," I pushed his hand away from my shoulder and shot his glare right back into his face. I kept thinking that if I stared hard enough, I'd be able to match a punch. Even though it'd be hard to compete with him, manipulative as he was, I had to show some guts once in a while. "I thought you trusted him. I thought you would care about where he's been instead of acting like that!"

"You don't get it!" He rubbed at his forehead with his fingers. "We're not girls, Roxas! You've gotta put your friends in line; make sure that they'll always be level with you. Marly screwed up. He ruined his life by covering up and keeping away from us. I thought that, when Marly and I met, that he understood that he could be cool to tell us whenever he was getting six feet under."

"But why attack him for it? Look at you! You're talking to me about it! Why's Marly any different?"

"Because he can...he can handle that sort of stuff."

"Not right now he can. The guy's going through getting out of jail and he's going through rehab. You expect him to take that punch the way you wanted it to be?" I stopped and realized that I'd probably stepped back a couple of feet since we started arguing. My shoelace was stretched out so far now. This was weird...this had to be the first time that Axel and I exchanged bashings at each other. "Are you saying I'm weak?"

No, no, why now? Why did we have to get caught up in this now?

Axel scoffed and began pacing back and forth. "I never said that."

"You're saying that I wouldn't be able to get hit?"

"Well, it's not really like you to fight back."

"Huh?"

"What, you'd just run off to your little spot in your closet and lock the door, hoping that someone won't find you?!"

"I...so what if I would?" I lowered my voice and my eyes. This was starting to hurt...I could really feel that. "So what if I would?" I didn't catch myself walking toward Axel until he started watching me cautiously.

"Well, it doesn't matter. None of that matters! Ugh, I don't get why you have to be so...so _stupid_ about this whole thing! You're _not_ in it, ok? You're not in this fight! If you step into it, then, fine! You'll just end up getting hit yourse..."

_Slap_

It's his turn to feel that. It's his turn to feel hate on his face. Hate, hate, hate. I felt all of it spread into my hand and, from there, it moved on its own. Slap. Just like that. The red mark on Axel's cheek proved that.

He blinked with his head turned to one side where my slap sent it. At first, it felt good. It felt amazing to finally hit him like I used to dream of doing when he annoyed me beyond reason. Then, the seconds flew by and I hated myself. My hand started burning from the spike sent through that hit. Now I just felt like hitting myself back.

I brought my hand back to my side and regretfully stared at Axel's face while he looked back at me; face straight, eyes narrowed, hand on cheek. I couldn't take it. I really hit him...I abused him.

It's a good time to run. Without speaking, I bent over Hayner's locker, got the lace out on the first tug, picked up my book, tucked it under my shoulder and walked around Axel toward the exit doors. I could feel him looking at me. He didn't deserve that. I don't deserve to be looked at.

xxXXxx

I went to bed early that night and made sure that when I got in bed, to keep my back turned away from the door. I just stared blankly at the silver light under the window for what felt like hours. Mom never opened the door. Sora never rushed in and bounced on the bed. Axel didn't get in next to me. Absolute quiet. Absolutely no one. Just what it used to be like before I met Axel.

I felt like dreaming for a while. I just wanted to go somewhere else for a change...maybe that white place where there's no one else but me and voices. Maybe to that island that I sat on when I was a kid. After all, in each place, I met someone perfect. I could even feel...I felt...heat. It felt real. Something was really next to me and it wasn't letting go of holding onto me. I didn't want it to and I almost held it back until I felt a weight ease from my chest. I felt really empty...empty.

_"Bye, Roxas...bye."_

...Bye? I felt another something push against me. The heat moved to my face, to my head, to my hands. I swear, something was right in front of me. Bye?

_"Bye."_

"Hn?" I felt like I was falling when I shot up from bed. My heart was beating like an animal and my hands were sweating and shaking at the same time. A bad dream? But it felt so...great. I turned to my right and saw that the bed next to me was a little ruffled up. Wait...did that mean...he was here?

I looked out the window at the pastel orange outside. The twilight was just getting ready to stain the clouds in the sky. I knew that scene. It was early morning right now. I knew I was definitely right when the bells at the clock tower rang seven times. 7:00?

"Axel?" I asked after looking around the room, holding the blanket in my lap. I asked again but all I got was the sound of a train whistle moving further and further away. Train...

Right there...right then and there was when I felt a shot of adrenaline run right through me. God, why didn't I know? Why didn't I remember? 7:00. I didn't have a lot of time. Those trains left fast; the people left faster. I pushed the sheets away from my body and swung my feet out of bed. Clothes, clothes...no, I didn't have time for that.

I dug through my closet and pulled out my white and black checkered jacket. I pulled it on, zipped it up and headed for the door. I'm not dreaming, right? No, I _heard_ someone talk to me. I _felt_ someone next to me. I stepped out into the hallway and literally flung myself on the stair railing. Below me, the entire first floor was empty. No mom in the kitchen. No Sora or Riku at the TV...

No Axel...not here.

I turned my head back to my room and remembered that I hadn't even seen his bag on the floor. His uniform wasn't in the closet.

I gasped when I figured what I was thinking was true. He left. Got up and left. I didn't have anytime to cry, to curse, to even breathe. I didn't have the time for anything but to run. I shot down the stairs, skipping every third step and made it to the door in nothing but my black shorts, my black and white jacket with PJ top underneath and my only pair of non-school shoes.

I didn't care that it was cold outside. After all, the running would just warm me up. This was really happening. Axel could've been gone by now. Still, I wasn't about to let that train leave without me returning the goodbye, no matter how much I didn't want to say it.

* * *

**ow, axel's hair cut me... x.O**

**i really shouldn't play with these figures like dolls but i just can't keep away from them! anyway, i'll give a report on that convention a little later on. i'm just really excited to get started on the next chapter. it's always chapters like that that make me so happy to write them even though they might be...depressing. OX axel got b-slapped by roxas...gah! so much soap operaness! nuuuu...i really don't wanna have him leaaaaavvvveeee...**

**oh! going back to chapter thirty one! thanks to Renix05 who gave Sex Ed's 813th review. honestly, i never imagined that this story would even be read. -snuggles in a blanket- it makes me feel sad...in a good way!**

**on a side note, has anyone been keeping up to date with KH2 FM and Re COM recently? i have and i'm so crazed with them both right now! axel is even SEXIER and is one hot killer XP i'd love to see his face before i die...no! no death! -hides-**

**well, since i'm not sure of what else i was going to say...****gasp! axel's quotes just came on the iPod!! -drool- mahh...now i'm getting sad again. DX i miss j00, axie waxie! roxas misses you the most. 3X**

**_soap opera queen,  
_****_kokoro77_**


	33. Chapter Thirty Three: Axel&Roxas Time

**Author's Note: finals are coming up soon! i've been putting together all my study materials and i just managed to squeeze it free time today and yesterday...and the day before (mah! DX) to finish up this chapter. as soon as finals are over, SCHOOL'S OFFICIALLY OUT!! -happy dance happy dance happy dance- i should throw a party! ...**

**but not now...there's emoness to be covered in this chapter. -sniffle- i had a great time writing this chapter. for one thing, i could listen to all the best sad/breakup/love/piano songs that i wanted while i wrote it! second, because i was spazzing out while adding in stuff. seriously! is was like: "ZOMG! -GASP- THIS TOTALLY BELONGS HEREEEEEE!!!" XDD**

**i hope the randomness in events i pieced together works out...meep -digs a hole and hides-**

**i...need...summmerrr... XOO**

* * *

Chapter Thirty Three: Axel and Roxas Time

How could he do that to me? How could he just get up and leave without telling me he was leaving? How can he deal with the guilt of leaving me behind...throwing us to the side and forgetting? For a second, I felt like stopping. I felt like pulling off to the side of the street to sit against a wall and stay there until I'd find something better to do with my life...like maybe join up with street performers. People like that always had a place to go, always something to do. I wondered if they even had to deal with relationships like normal people.

If I became one of them, I'd be so famous that I'd have to travel through different worlds and towns. Then I'd end up at Radiant Garden. Maybe then I'd get to see Axel again...watching me play with fire or juggle knives. I wondered if he'd think I was stupid and wouldn't bother to even say he knew me. Would that be the way I'd like to see Axel again?

I thought about stopping. I really thought about it long and hard. But that would have to wait. It's always hard for someone to go someplace far away from me without me seeing them for days. With Axel, I wondered if it would even last for days. Weeks? Months? Years?

While the cold air whipped at my face, I turned corners, skipped steps, tripped and pulled myself back up...no matter what I had to make it to that station. The tower rang again and it still sounded far away.

1...2...3...4...5...6...7...

I didn't think that it used to take this long to get there. Maybe mom already noticed that I was gone and was trying to chase me down. Please, no. Don't make me stop. I had somewhere I had to be, something I had to do.

I still couldn't figure out what I'd do once I got there...if Axel was even there in the first place. There'd really be no point in running after the train. People say that it disappears off the track right when in departs from the station. That just made me add another desperate sprint in my run, even if I nearly broke my ankle when I did it.

Even if I had two broken legs, I'd find someway to make it there and hug his legs if I had to. Yeah, I'm just stubborn that way.

xxXXxx

Being a Saturday, I expected that there would be a lot of people both outside and inside the station. I was definitely right, for once. I turned a sharp right corner up the hill and came to a quick stop before I ended up colliding with someone ahead of me. The lady didn't even pay attention to me. She was all caught up in texting on her cell phone; I told you, something that girls are pros at.

Left, right...I turned my head in every possible direction there was. I kept getting a sore chest when I saw couples hugging and crying; the wife telling her husband to come home soon and the husband telling the wife to keep safe. I couldn't care less if someone was staring at me for running around frantically, they were all too busy with stupid business to pay attention to some teenager...a teenager that was still in his pajamas, by the way.

Swiftly and carefully I picked the easiest gaps to run through in the crowd. Each time I moved past a person, I looked up and checked the time on the tower that hovered over the station.

Fifteen minutes until 7:30.

I managed to make my way through people's cell phone calls, last minute voicemails and millions, literally millions of last minute goodbyes. I'd been doing so much running that it almost hurt to breathe.

Leaving all those conversations behind me, I skipped up the stairs and pulled the station doors open like my life was on the line. Right when I opened those doors and slipped inside the first lobby, I ran off to the door to the train departures like crazy. Not only that, but I started talking to myself like crazy.

"Be there...please be there...come on, don't be gone, ok? You're still there. Pick it up, Roxas, pick it up!" For once, my body was getting a sense that this was a serious situation and sent what was left of my energy into the last few seconds of that run. I literally slammed my body into the doors but I just shrugged off the pain that came out of it.

This had to be the biggest turning point in my life...bigger than starting high school, bigger than being on the top of the newspaper headlines for days, bigger than _meeting_ Axel.

I got blasted with a strong smell of gasoline when I eventually got the doors open. I was stupid enough to make myself the center of attention. I hadn't even been in there for five seconds when I ran to the center of the main lobby and screamed the loudest I'd ever screamed, even if my chest felt like something took a hammer to it.

"AXEL!!!" I panted breathlessly and stared around the room. I could hear that scream echo off the high ceiling and into the room where all the trains were kept. A couple of heads turned and a couple of eyes rolled but they eventually turned back around. Not loud enough. Not _near_ loud enough. "AXEL!" I tried again, this time getting even more head turns than last time. That had to be perfect. That had to be good enough.

I couldn't just stand there and do nothing but scream until someone slapped me across the face. I ignored all the glares I was getting and ran further into the station; up the stairs and into the departure room. Still panting wildly, I threw my body from side to side, searching for seconds at a time in one spot then the other.

He wasn't here.

Panic. My heart nearly gave out when I realized that I couldn't find him. Didn't Axel normally stand out the most in a crowd? After all that running, all the screaming, pushing, shoving...he wasn't here. But he had to be.

I turned my head sharply to the left and spotted the purple train with the blue moon and star windows on each side. It was that one train that left only once a month for out of town travels...the one that people say rarely comes back. It didn't leave yet...I didn't get it.

"Axel..." I breathed, still staring at that train with my mouth hanging open. "Where...how...?" There really was nothing better to do than stammer in one spot. I eventually pulled my eyes away from the train when it started to hurt to look at it. I didn't want to think about traveling right now. With my eyes cloudy and the taste of blood in my throat, I turned back to my right and started walking toward the benches.

Nope. Axel wasn't there either.

I felt like garbage. Waste, scum...whatever word that could best describe a Roxas was what I was. That was it. He was gone. Nothing more to talk about. What if he decided to take a different train? What if there was another purple train that I didn't know about? All I knew was: I had nowhere to go now.

Right when my nose was inches away from touching the wall ahead of me, I turned around and forced my back against the bricks, holding my head in one hand while dragging myself to the floor. When I got to the floor, I stared down at my feet for a while before shutting my eyes tight and hoping that I'd fall asleep and wake up to a new school year. Not gonna happen. Nothing's fair.

I opened my mouth to breathe again and I ended up getting out a broken sob. I rubbed the top of my head and smoothed down some spikes that fell over the back of my neck. I could really remember a touch like that. With my eyes closed, I could remember feelings; go back to so many memories. No matter what I think about, I always think about Axel. I can't not do it.

I could feel something pulling down lightly on my neck and I almost tipped over. I opened my eyes and caught sight of a white ring hanging right under my face. It wasn't moving like it usually did. It was sort of just hanging there and not even the wind was doing much to it. I carefully put my hand under it and let it lay flat. I could feel its chain snaking against my skin. Cold, shivering and scared...just like me.

I never took this thing off for a second since I got it. I wasn't planning on getting rid of it. After all...

I looked up for a second to stare at a few people throwing cargo into the purple train. I broke out a little sob again but shut myself up by turning back to the floor.

After all, I guess it's all I have left of Axel.

"Roxas..." I muttered to the reflection in the ring. "You screwed up. You...really did." I shook my head once and closed my hand over the ring, letting it heat up and bit while I tightened my fingers up into a loose fist. True story is, I really think I screwed up. The heat in my hand just made me think back to the fact that I really slapped Axel. Man, I didn't even apologize.

I crossed my arms over my knees and buried half my face in them before closing my eyes again. Trains were just coming in, from what I could hear. People were boarding and, before you could blink, the trains were gone again. This wasn't right. But I guess I was giving up. Axel wasn't here and I wasn't about to jump from train to train looking for him.

I could feel a tingle against my arms, my legs, my forehead. I wasn't sure if it was because it was so cold in here or what but I thought I should just push it away. When the tingling wouldn't stop, I started getting annoyed and ended up forcing my eyes open. Just as I was about to stand up, every single nerve in my body shot up and I stayed right where I was.

Wait...I knew this. I knew this feeling. I could even recognize the khaki pants that were standing just two inches in front of me. This wasn't happening...it's not...right? Fate's not that nice.

My eyes perked up and, without even concentrating on one thought, I turned my head up from my knees and looked up at him. I would've cried if I wasn't so excited...I really couldn't say anything. I just let my bottom lip shake along with my legs. I didn't feel like letting the shaking stop. I just did what came naturally. I narrowed my eyes and reached out my arms until they were far enough to wrap around his knees. It might've seemed sappy before, but at the time, I loved it.

"Ah, man..." I whispered to no one in particular. I locked my arms loosely around his legs and tried pulling him closer to me but I couldn't do much more than hide my face. It hurt to do anything else. Don't make me let go, please don't. _I need this_.

After a while, I noticed that he wasn't moving. That's when I started getting heavy-chested again. Right now. Roxas, if you don't do this now, it's useless. Go on, no one's gonna do it for you. You're not a kid.

Tiredly, I moved my face away from his knees and decided to keep my eyes facing forward. I'd feel like even more of a jerk if I looked right at his face. His eyes would've ended up winning over me anyway. "Sorry..." I croaked. "I'm sorry." I dropped my arms and pulled them back into my chest pathetically. Sorry comes in close second against goodbye when it comes to pain. A hurt word, that's what it is.

I heard something shuffling and still didn't move my eyes away from my hands. That is, until I saw a sharp green in the corner of my eye that literally forced me into changing my line of sight. Slowly, I turned my head and, sure enough, Axel was staring right at me, occasionally gazing over my face like I was his lost possession. I guess I sort of am.

He's...too...perfect. I couldn't help but sit quietly while a light breeze from the passing trains blew his untamed, cherry spikes to one side. The setting twilight outside was staining itself on him, leaving a hazy orange and subtle yellow on every part of his skin. All that twilight even brought out the extra spike in his eyes, lethal green. Really up close, I had the time to pin point the perfections on his face. It's how I get to know him better, I guess. Hey, he does the same for me.

"I knew you were always crazy, Roxas. Always knew it." He turned up a sincere smirk and raked one hand through his hair.

"Axel, I..." I stopped. "...where were you?"

His smile drifted off and he ended up biting a corner of his mouth sort of worriedly. "We left early this morning so we could get our stuff on the train first thing. I tagged along with mom and Riku for a bit before heading back here."

"Where'd you go?"

Another bite. This was getting edgy. "Hospital. Visited Arson."

"Huh? Why? I mean, how's he doing for one thing?" I straightened up and little bit against the wall, nearly crashing our heads together. I had to remember to keep my voice down since all talk echoed like gossip in this room.

"That wound of his isn't healing up right. It keeps getting infected even when the doctors try to re-bandage it."

"Oh..." I couldn't help but feel miserable. After all, I was the one that stabbed him...stabbed him _deep_. Arson could've died if it hadn't been for the police. I never meant for things to get so out of hand. I wondered...if I hadn't done that, then maybe Axel wouldn't be leaving. Then again, we'd all be dead if I hadn't done it. Fate messes with people too much.

"Hey...hey, hey, hey," Axel sort of cooed in my ear while he reached out his hand to me. I stared at his long, thin fingers for a while before shutting my eyes lightly when he ran them through my hair. I didn't care if it made me feel small.

What started out as something sort of cute ended up tearing me apart. I felt my throat clench up while I moved my cheek against his thumb. Before I knew it, my eyes were squeezed shut and I was swallowing down sobs all over again.

"Roxas...c'mere." With his free hand, Axel took my left wrist and shook it. I got the sense that he wanted me to look so I did, feeling my wet eyelashes freeze against my skin when I blinked. He was still holding my head and I realized that he had moved in closer to me. What was he thinking? Too many people were here.

"What?"

"Over here, let's go." He slipped his hand away from my head and helped me up to my feet. I didn't mind that they were falling asleep. They'd catch up eventually. I didn't bother to look around the room. I didn't even get the time to and we were walking _slowly_ to wherever it was that Axel needed to take me. But I followed anyway and did it without being so conscious about who was watching.

This was Axel and Roxas time, no one else's.

xxXXxx

We had to be extra careful maneuvering through the train station. For once thing, there were a lot of people, mostly girls that would most likely find some way or another to create rumors about me and Axel. For another thing, there could've been cameras or staff members that could've caught us wandering around places we shouldn't have been. Still, we risked it.

Axel led me past the third tracks where the third train normally stayed for loading and departing. I peered around his shoulder and saw some steps that led somewhere below the tracks. Funny, I didn't remember stairs being in here.

Then, just as we started sneaking down those stairs, I mindlessly curled my hand up and slipped it into Axel's hand. I just wondered what it would feel like without him having to hold my wrist all the time. I felt that it was time for a change. He took a second to look over his shoulder at me. I could tell that he wanted to smile, really, really wanted to smile...but his eyes narrowed and drooped back down to the ground as we went on walking.

I swallowed a bit and I couldn't stop feeling nervous even when we stopped walking, hidden behind a concrete wall. Walls...I knew Axel well enough to know what they meant for him. As long as I was between him and a wall, he got his dosage of entertainment for the day. I was half expecting to be thrown against it so I buckled my knees and braced myself for impact.

1...2...now?

"So..." I started, switching glances between Axel's face and the blank wall behind him. I tried pulling my hand back but he just gave me a squeeze, telling me that that wasn't gonna be a good idea.

"Don't feel bad, ok?" He turned his head down to look me straight in the eye. After all this time, he was still capable of towering over me.

"Feel bad?" Just listening to myself talk, I could tell that I was sounding pretty worn out. My eyes were half closed and my body wasn't responding as quickly as I wanted it too. After all, I only woke up a little while ago. Come on, stay awake. I had to remember that this was important.

"Just don't get worked up about this stupid trip." He scoffed and brushed his thumb over my hand which I thought was unintentional. Just as I was about to smile along with him, his expression turned back around. What is wrong with this guy?

While I thought about it, I still felt his thumb just grazing the top of my skin, softly and unhurriedly. I really did miss that. I thought back to a couple of situations when he would touch me like that. I thought back to when we'd share a laugh, a picture, memories...those touches felt just like those memories. I'd miss it...I'd miss it a lot. I lowered my eyes to the floor just as he stopped moving completely.

"Roxas." That's all he said in some secretive, half-sob voice. Before I could say anything, I heard him laugh calmly above me. I felt his weight press down on my forehead and his hands limply fasten around my waist. His chest was almost pressing into me, close enough for me to feel him breathing. "Roxas, Roxas..." He muttered painfully.

"A-Axel..." I staggered and drew in a sharp breath of cold air. With my eyes still staring downward, I saw his foot inch forward hesitantly. I sort of understood and took a full step back until I had my body flattened out against the concrete. Axel followed me carefully until I finally had him pushing me, almost combining us. This had to be the first time that I would accept anything like this without a struggle.

For a while, I had my hands pushed out to the side before I moved them up and behind Axel's neck. There, I held him and tried pulling his head even closer to me. I really wanted him so close that I could feel his eyelashes on my skin. His breathing was quickening and mine was easily catching up. What happens now...? It's something I always ask during these sorts of situations.

"It's how much...I'll miss you." My voice cracked when I said that. Thankfully, he understood and nodded once with his head still pressed against mine. I really said it. Ever since I met Axel, I never once really told him what I felt about him. What I was doing now reflected how much I would miss him.

"Go ahead. Doesn't bother me." He started rocking his hips from one side to the other very, very slowly. Just like when we were alone...dancing out of all things. I almost gasped and I brought my eyes up to his chest.

"Mm..." I whispered shyly. It wasn't much from the fact that it felt good that he was touching me that made me make a sound like that. It was from knowing that it could've been the last time I'd get to feel it. Did that make me selfish? Did it make me a bad person to almost regret feeling him almost protect me like this?

"I got you. I'm not going yet, remember?"

"But you will...you're gonna..."

"Shh...not yet, yeah? _Not yet._" Wait a sec...I knew this feeling. Just as I was thinking about dreaming, I felt something touching my face, my neck...my whole body was surrounded by something warm. So it was him. He must've been saying goodbye. What's the use of goodbye if you can't look someone in the eye and say it?

That was it. I couldn't take it anymore. He was a jerk for thinking he could pull something like that off. Instead of hitting him or screaming, I loosened my hands and used one to grab the back of his head. His eyes dilated when I let all my anger out...just let it out, let it all out. I fiercely, openly kissed him, shutting my eyes quick right when I started. Seeing as I wasn't normally the one to make the first move, I felt tongue-tied...literally.

I was honestly excited and heartbroken at the same time while he moved right along with me. It hurts when two emotions like that crash. But I guess that the kissing can pull that hurt away. He started sucking on my lower lip during a short pause between each kiss. Yeah, it might've hurt a bit but it still didn't hurt as much as the thoughts I was having.

For a second, I cracked my eyes open and stared at his face. It had to be the first time that I had my eyes open while we were kissing. I thought that keeping your eyes open was bad luck. But I really couldn't help it. What if he would leave me in the next second? I wouldn't get the chance to see him again. Never again. Ouch.

_Ouch _

I slowed down after thinking it and lowered my eyes to the ground again. What was happening to me? I never acted like this before when people left me. I remembered the time when Hayner left on a trip for a month and all I did was hit him on the back and laugh about it while he stuck his tongue out the window at me. Something's changed me...something's turned me into a different Roxas and the scars from that change hurt.

"Hurts, doesn't it?" I always knew he could read my mind. After he asked, he came onto me again, first kissing the edge of my cheek before licking my lips apart from each other. I tried thinking back to the first time he kissed me...I wouldn't really count that kiss as a real first kiss since it was more of a forced one rather than a serious "you're important to me" one. It didn't really _mean_ anything. But, compared to this one, this one was definitely higher up the ladder.

"Ah..." Just when my breathing drew back, I calmly sighed against him just after that one beginning kiss. Yeah, I couldn't stop. There's just something about this sort of thing that keeps you going: you can't give only one kiss. Half my mind was set on moving my hands down his neck then down his back. I just barely let my fingers touch the heavy fabric on his black hooded sweater. I buried one hand under the hood and carefully rubbed at his neck while the other one inched up and down at his lower back.

At the same time, Axel's hands quickly grabbed behind my waist then traveled over to the bottom of my jacket. I felt a light tug which was followed by more of a lift. Before I could even finish the description of that touch, he already had the jacket and the shirt lifted up just enough for him to cover his hands underneath, letting them twist along my spine.

He skipped a breath and returned a sigh back at me. I wondered if it hurt him, but I had a feeling that him breathing like that was totally different from what I was thinking. Who knew that he was just as vulnerable as I was when it came to squeezing into personal bubbles? Well, I had to remember that he was just being like any other love sick puppy...just a little more mature than that. While all those thoughts went on, something cold touched my fingers which made Axel twitch instead of me.

I couldn't look down but I could feel that cold object just enough to know what it could've been. Let's see...my hands were pretty low, and the thing was pretty small...a zipper. I tried to test it out and, sure enough, when I pulled down, a little zipping noise broke though. I stretched my fingers higher until I felt the button. Once there, I unlatched it and let Axel go on shivering half nervously and half with anticipation. Score point for Roxas.

I traced my thumbs along his belt loops. Once, twice, until I figured that he would get a heart attack if I pushed it too far. Truthfully, I was getting ready to jump off the edge too. His hands weren't so gentle the first second that zipper started skidding down. Axel suddenly backed off and panted with his head pressing in between my eyes.

I felt my lips quiver a little from the sudden cold. I ducked my head and let my body shake intentionally just so Axel could move in a little closer to me. He lifted his head and rested his chin atop my head instead. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I could hear a piano playing; not too loud but not too soft. There really is something changing about me.

Something literally attacked me on the inside, making me suddenly say things that I didn't even think of saying. "I don't hate you. I really don't." With my face still looking down, I moved my hand to his face where I remembered, but didn't want to, hitting him. I just poked at it softly with my fingers, even when the situation started feeling corny.

I felt him scoff lightly against me. "Roxas," he breathed, "come on."

"You know...it's 'cause I _can't_ hate you. Even if I _really_ want to, I can't do it. It's just...Axel, I can't..." I half smiled but he quickly erased it with the next thing he did.

"Roxas, look at me, 'kay?" His voice mysteriously lowered to a serious level. As if he was setting a madman straight, he took both of his hands and grabbed both sides of my head. He wasn't all too demanding about it but he did make me look right at his face. It was weird to see him serious, eyes scanning over my face and smile turned flat. He still looked a little exhausted but he looked like he could handle it.

Embarrassed, I took my hand away from his face and left it hanging at my side, resisting the want/need to grab for his pants again. I was that close to dropping them. Phew, focus, Roxas. Focus.

"I'm not gonna hate you if you do things like that. It doesn't bug me that you're being you, got it?"

"What?" I asked airily.

"If you hit me like that, yell at me, throw me off a cliff...that's just you being you. If you don't do that, it'll just make me hate you then. Understand? You have to stay Roxas. Don't be a fake."

"O-oh..." My body shivered more when I felt my arms getting exposed to the wind. In the corner of my eye, I noticed that my jacket sleeve was pushed away just enough to show my upper arm. Right when I saw it, Axel let go of my head with one hand and used it to pull the rest of the sleeve down.

"That's the only reason why I like you. You're not forcing yourself to change. See, when Arson does the same exact things to me, I hate him. Know why? 'Cause he's not him. I know he's not. Roxas." He shook me.

"Uh-huh?" I got caught off guard between listening to him and feeling him pull my sleeve down at the same time.

"...I'm gonna be sappy, ok? But it'll be worth it."

"What're you talking about?" He had both hands on my jacket now, pulling both sleeves away. It finally hit me that he was undressing me in public and I was still in my PJs. I didn't say anything about it since I felt strangely comfortable with it.

"Just...stay you..." The jacket dropped over my feet right when he forcefully pulled at my shoulders and pushed my head against his chest. When I tried listening for a heartbeat, I couldn't catch it. It was like he was dead inside. "...'cause I love you for it. That's how it's gonna be."

My thoughts did a quick double take on my memories. My breathing hitched and my eyes nearly stung when I heard that last part in his chest. This was definitely what it felt like...when someone tells you they _love_ you...you feel like passing out. You feel like running and crying; you feel like hiding and keeping quiet. But what's the right thing to do? Is it ever right to run away from love like that? Why did Axel have to tell me this now, just before he runs away?

"Took you long enough," I whispered and took a second before rephrasing it. "...I love you for that." I choked and felt my shoulders shake, not from the cold but from the crying. I had to do it. I had to be me and cry. He warned me that he was going to be sappy. There're times that sappy is acceptable, now being the best time.

The problem with moments like this is that they never last long.

_"Train number one, departing for Radiant Garden, is now boarding. All passengers please report to train doors at this time."_

"Hn..." I shook my head against him, tugging at his sweater, and felt the wall behind me grind into my back. I could tell he didn't want to leave. As far as I knew it, he belonged to me. It might've sounded selfish at first, but I couldn't help but think it. There was no way that I could promise him that I could stay Roxas if he wasn't there to help me.

"You're coming, right?" He said into my neck.

I let out a long sigh and unwillingly nodded. Man, I felt like a spoiled brat that wouldn't let go of a toy. When I squeezed my eyes, I pictured mom's voice lecturing for me to let go. Tiny, helpless, _spoiled_ Roxas was digging his fingers into some Captain Wears-his-underwear-outside-of-his-pants action figure.

_Roxas, Roxas, please let go. I'm not going to ask you again, young man. _

...before a different voice took over.

_It's not like it's a crime. You're both perfect anyway, yeah?_

I didn't know whose voice it could've been, but I had a feeling like I knew it from somewhere. I didn't see a picture of anything that time so there really was no way for me to tell who was talking to me. I ended up listening to the voice I recognized, as much as it made my ear bleed to do it.

It took me a while before I could get the message to my hands to let go of Axel's waist. They eventually unlocked and he backed away, disappointedly gazing at the floor while the train whistle and the scattered conversation of the outside world came back. I reached down for my jacket and pulled it back on, just realizing how cold it was in here.

"Ok, let's go..." _1 step... _

_I reach out my hand and Axel takes it, just like I want him to. _

_2 steps... _

_He helps me move away from the wall and, in a slow turn, walks next to me to the stairs. _

_3, 4, 5, 6, steps... _

_While we walk in rhythm, the train impatiently whistles. I feel like stopping midway and dragging Axel down with me. But before I can, the stairs end and we're walking to the first tracks. _

_7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 steps... _

_Right before we reach the train, I hear the piano slowly end on an unfinished note. I know it means something. It means that this isn't over. Axel turns his head to me and gives me a trademark smile; the kind that only shows up for me. I feel like taking a picture...I feel like finding a way for that smile to stay glued to my mind. _

_We take one more step forward. _13. Mine stop here.

I looked to my right where I noticed that the gate opened for the train to pass through. When I looked hard enough, I could sort of see that there was something past the black in that tunnel. There was just something that was telling me that I shouldn't be afraid to let Axel leave me. Call me crazy, but looking in that tunnel made me feel that way.

Right when I turned my head back to Axel, I heard something metal hit the ground. I looked around my feet until I saw a silver necklace sprawled out some inches away from Axel's leg. At first I thought it might have been any old necklace; after all, there were so many people that it was pretty easy for someone to lose anything. But, when I examined the detail in the necklace, the sharp spark in the diamonds, the sleek curve of the ring hanging off one end, I nearly panicked. Before I had the chance to say anything about it, I felt this pang at the back of my head.

Wait, where'd did that come from? When I stared at the necklace longer, I caught sight of someone's feet standing behind it. I wondered if it could've been someone who thought the necklace was theirs and I immediately brought my head up to look them straight in the eye. What would I say? Uh, sorry, that's mine and you can't have it so...shoo. Spoiled kid was kicking in again.

"Oh, uh, sorry..." My throat instantly closed up, not letting anything larger than air pass through. No...that's not. That's not possible. Maybe in dreams, yeah, but not _here_; I really wished this whole scene could've been a dream, but it really wasn't. How else could I see him standing almost close enough to reach out his hand and touch me? How else could I see the breeze from the trains flutter right past his face...a pale face at that? How else could I know that this guy was _Zexion?_

xxXXxx

Punch me, throw water on me, bite me, pinch me, throw me off a running train. What ever it would take to snap me out of a daze, I wished someone could and would just do it. I constantly blinked even until my eyes nearly dried out and felt sandy when I shut them.

I just had to make sure that I Zexion was standing there, looking at me through that one eye of his and...smiling. Out of all things, he was vaguely smiling at me. His face was so pale and it was dimly transparent in his cheeks. His bangs still fell into neat, dark blue layers over his right eye and his eye color had even remained that one shade of deep lavender that used to scare me out of my mind when I first met him. I couldn't believe I could pull out all these things from some feet away.

When I stared harder and longer, I got used to the nearly fading color in his body and could manage to draw out the outline of his clothes: a navy blue sweater with a music note printed on the front, a black choker around his neck, a black and white tie tied at the end of his sweater zipper, baggy jeans and a pair of loose, white athletic shoes with no laces tied through them. When I thought back, I remembered that he wore this exact same outfit to the dance when he was the DJ, the same outfit he was shot in and the same outfit he wore in that picture that was displayed during his ceremony at school.

With eyes still widened, I looked down at his feet and twitched my fingers, thinking if it would be right to reach out for the necklace. As far as I knew, I still had my necklace. I shifted my arms and felt the chain swivel along my collar bone. So that meant...

Right then, I turned my head to Axel who was just standing there with his back turned half to me and half to the train ahead. It was almost like no time had passed at all...what was he doing just standing there? I looked around me in a way that made me look like I could've been the last person on earth: cold, stunned and overall, petrified. What were all these people doing with their faces turned away from me?

"Wha..." I looked back to where I had seen Zexion, fully expecting him to be nothing but a vision, but there he was, still smiling at me with one slender finger pressing lightly over his mouth. I could even see the people behind him since his hand was just as transparent as his cheeks. Get out of my head, quit messing with me.

While I slowly cocked my head to the side, Zexion, or whoever, whatever he was, lowered his finger and nudged his head toward the floor. I looked down and saw him tapping one foot beside the necklace on the ground. Before I could move toward it, thinking that he wanted me to pick it up, he took a first slow step forward and shiftily kicked it, sending it against the front of my shoe. I raised an eyebrow and tried to ask, but he just shook his head at me.

Without words, he nodded toward the necklace and flicked his fingers up twice. I shifted looks from Zex, to the floor, to Axel, to the train, to Axel again then back to the floor. In all honesty, I felt that I was hit with a spotlight, a person chosen to save a life...maybe that's it. Maybe I was supposed to save someone's life.

As if I read Zexion's mind, I bent down and carefully stretched out my hand until I had one finger through the diamond ring. I pulled myself back up and curled my hand over it, feeling some heat escape from it instead of ice, like mine always did. I squeezed tighter while having a stare down with Zex. He must've been satisfied, seeing as he weakly grinned at me.

You're ok.

Then why don't I feel ok?

You're just being yourself. It's normal. You really are ok.

I didn't believe that, but I didn't have much time to think about it. Reality started coming into play again. The train whistle shrilled in my ear, causing me to spin around to see if maybe I missed the departure. Good, the train was still there. But when I looked back forward, Zex was gone. Nothing. It's always first instinct to believe that he was never there. Then again, I still had this necklace in my hand. I pictured Zex with his finger over his lips.

Just as time started rolling on again and people turned their faces back in different directions, I twirled the chain around my wrist and tucked most of it underneath my checkered wristband. It was out of sight. Axel turned back to me and paused for a long time before saying, "I saw mom already get on the train. Riku's most likely with her." Translation: I'm, uh, gonna go now.

I nodded briskly as if I understood and shoved my hands into my jacket pockets. I had to make sure that the thing was _really_ out of sight. I at least expected Axel to mention the necklaces. I guess...he didn't care.

"XYZ."

"Huh?"

"XYZ. Don't wanna make an idiot of yourself when you get there." I didn't bother to throw my finger out to show him that his zipper was still undone. He eventually got it and we suddenly broke out in a laughing outburst while he pulled it back up.

"Hey, take this real quick." He looked up and dug around in his pocket, pulling out a folded up piece of paper which he ended up handing over to me. He even stood over me while I took it from him with my right hand, the one I could show him. I unfolded it and lightly chewed my lip when I saw the smudged pencil marks etched throughout the page. Those smudges and lines came together in the center of the paper as _that_ one drawing of me. This was that drawing that Axel drew in the hospital. That one drawing that he drew when I kept insisting that I hated him. I couldn't understand it; he used to only see me a couple times a day and yet he could still get all the details in my face perfectly.

Somewhat speechless, I pulled the drawing to my stomach and muttered a droned "Thank you."

He hugged me again after that, less affectionately this time since people could actually see us. I kept my hands to myself, one still in my pocket and the other smooshed between Axel and myself. He couldn't see it, but I was falling apart. No one could tell since my face was so straight and my eyes were so emotionless. I liked feeling his clothes against my face for some reason. I breathed in and out, taking in the last bit of his cologne. On the last breath I let out, he moved away, further and further away until I almost felt like I was being held back by a thin string. I couldn't follow him and I hated fate because of it.

I just stood there, mindless and in the same position he left me in. I counted his steps: five to the train, one, two, three, four, five, six more...I lost count once he actually got inside and a station member slid the door closed behind him. I didn't want to count steps anymore. It just made life seem pretty short.

I always knew that the train left fast. But, like I said, the people left quicker. It was always hard to grasp that people actually moved on. Goodbyes take forever to do since there's so much feeling in it. The actual leaving moment speeds right through since all the feelings were put into those goodbyes. I gloomily watched the train unhook from one track and lock onto another before letting out a quiet puff of steam while motoring away. Pretty soon, I couldn't even see the train anymore, the open tunnel took it into darkness and that was that.

He didn't even look back.

So long Sex Education...

_So long Twilight Town, hello life of sleeping alone._

xxXEpilogueXxx

Five minutes into this thing and I'm bored-as-hell. It's not my fault that I can't stand sitting against my will. Most people call that ADD but I just call it someone-who-gets-bored-easily syndrome. I guess it's sort of pointless to think that I've got something _biologically_ wrong with me. Truth is, right now, there's something _differently _wrong with me. I'm too hit up to come up with a name for it.

Apparently, I was the last one to get on the train and I was the one holding it up in the departure gate five minutes over schedule. I would've gone an hour over schedule just to stay back there.

I roughly sighed and pulled one leg over the other, resting my chin on my hand while I glanced out the window. When I say glanced, it's not a one second thing. I literally stuck there forever, just watching the station zoom out, then the houses and then the clock tower. He said that he wanted to bring me on top of that thing one of these days...can't say that's possible now. It's a shame; ice cream and Roxas go well together, in two different ways.

I looked away from the window when it started making my insides turn and instead tried finding something interesting in the fact that Riku was pulling off a Stevie Wonder in the seat at my left, nodding off with his mouth half open. Normally, I would've grabbed the nearest pen and scribbled something awful on his face, but now is an exception.

I didn't get why the whole train had to be quiet. I figured that it was because there were so many old people in here. Honestly, Riku and I had to be the only teens sitting in here. See, if only I talked mom into getting another ticket then...

I groaned and slapped a hand over my face, sliding down into my seat. Everything little thing that I thought about trailed me back to thinking about Roxas. But I couldn't help it. That kid was just...human. He acted young for his age too. Always denying this from that, always making up excuses for saying something nice, always thinking he said the wrong thing when he really made it right.

I stared down at my right hand and started opening and closing it, just barely remembering what it felt like when Roxas was next to it. When I hugged him that last time, I couldn't put a finger on why he wouldn't do the same to me. I never thought of Roxas as the embarrassed type once we settled things out between us. It's making me sound like a selfish punk.

_"I love you for that."_ Honestly, how long was it gonna take him to say that? More like how long was it gonna take for _me_?

_"Axel? Axel! What're you doing here?" _

"Huh?" I opened my eyes (since when were they closed?) and lifted my other hand off of my forehead. Still slouching in my seat, I stared off to the right and saw these eyes bugging out right in my face.

"What're you doing here?" Boy, she seems excited. She laughed in disbelief and took the empty seat next to me. See, if mom let me get that ticket then that seat wouldn't have been empty, now would it? I pretended I saw a bird crash outside and looked out the window again.

"Taking a trip." That's technically true. I raised an eyebrow and half smirked out of my own politeness. "You?"

I saw her lean back into her seat and cross her arms over her chest. She was wearing the Sunset Hill High School uniform complete with blue and white, overly micromini skirt and tight to the skin polo. Don't tell me she followed me from school. She furrowed her eyebrows and let out a hitched sigh. Girls and their drama...

"My dad got a new job over in Radiant Garden. He's pulling me and my mom out of town to stay with him there at least until he's comfortable enough with the job."

This story sounded painfully familiar. "So, you're moving?"

She pouted and bounced her leg which made her ponytail flick. "Left everything behind. Friends, school...probably won't come back 'til next year. Who knows?" She raised her eyes and started staring at me...more like checking me out. I had to keep this thing going.

"Ohh, so you're the friend that Namine was talking about..." I shook a loose strand of hair away from my eyes. She must've really liked that. Sometimes I don't get why I have to be so, so...flirtatious; if that's even the right word. I blame genetics.

With a squeaky giggle, she cocked her head to one side and I swore she half winked at me. If she wasn't plastic then I didn't know who was. "Yep. That's me. It's sweet that you remembered me." She sat up in her seat and stared off into space for a second with her finger waving around in the space between us. "Hey, wait...you _do_ remember me, right? You know my _name_, right?"

I almost rolled my eyes but glued them open instead. Oh, yeah. I knew her name. It's not that hard to forget a name and face, no matter how much you might _want _to. What I was trying to figure out was if I even wanted to answer her. I figured that falling asleep would've been an easy thing to do. Then she might've slapped my face or cried until she drowned. As much as I liked the thought of a drowning Larxene, I turned my head straight in her direction and locked eyes with her from a low angle.

"Larxene. 'Course."

"Aha! Ding, ding, ding! I _knew_ you wouldn't forget." Larxene clapped her hands together once and that was the first time that I noticed that her nails were some shade of prissy pink. For a 'princess', Larxene acted half like a sporty boy: rebellious and pretty nasty.

A little bit of silence didn't last long between us. She crossed her legs, hit my foot with the tip of hers, most likely on purpose, and went back to her finger waving. "Hey, hey, you didn't answer my question yet."

"What, the one about why I'm here? Yeah I did." I was just a bout ready to drop the convo.

She shook her head violently. "Nuh-uh. _You_," she thrust her finger, along with her cat nails, into my shoulder, "didn't specify. Why're you going to Radiant Garden?"

I rolled my shoulder back, indirectly letting her know that stabbing wasn't helping anything. Did she honestly have to ask that again? I thought that 'taking a trip' was direct enough. That's the thing with women: they want full paragraphs of answers. Can't make life easy, can they? I un-crossed my legs and shot my eyes out the window opposite where we were sitting. The sky already got dark. I figured we weren't anywhere near Twilight Town anymore.

"You want direct?" I didn't look at her but I could tell she was glaring at me. "I just met my mom a while back. She's taking me and my brother to Radiant Garden with her. You know about the news?"

"Oh, right...it didn't get much press but Namine told me everything. She got some gossip from that Olette girl about it. Are you ok?" I caught her voice rising _just_ a bit with her question. Hm, typical suck up.

I vacantly tried to think up of an answer. Ok, so maybe the wound did hurt every now and then. It was still pretty hard to pull on a shirt or get in the shower without feeling a sting. I could almost feel my eyes droop when I thought about it hurting, about Roxas hurting.

"She just wants to protect us; give us a new start." Funny, I didn't answer her question at all.

"Well, that's funny. I didn't think that you would go through with moving."

For once, she caught my attention. I watched her through the corner of my eye. What'd she know about me?

"I mean, you liked Twilight Town, right? You had a posse and a best friend...s. Best friends. _I'd_ think that you'd try and run away." Larxene lightly tapped her finger on her cheek, staring at her foot while it shook to the flow of the train.

She's right. I did want to run away. I was pretty close to doing it, too. I took Roxas on that one day running away thing to Sunset Hill. In all honesty, I was so close to finding a place on the other side of town where we could stay. Our own Usual Spot. Then Roxas did some running away of his own. I still couldn't put a finger on why. Maybe he got scared? He got jealous? Jealous of what? Scared of what? Larxene...

"Look, as much as you might think I'm rebellious, I like to respect like any normal person." Man, my eyes were getting heavy.

"Hm, that's understandable. But, still. You've got a lot of guts. You're leaving more behind than I am...at least I think so. I dunno. Did I guess right?"

Sure. I've got guts. But what she doesn't know is that I really can't stand leaving. I'm not, not afraid of putting things in the past. That's not how it works. I can't stand leaving things standing still. Most people call it ADD. I call it being love sick. You've gotta keep things moving in a relationship.

_"Hey, hey...! Did I...oh, sorry."_

Black out.

For some reason, I felt something was oddly out of place during the ride. I subconsciously rolled my neck while my eyes stayed shut. I had a sense that it was already some hours into the train ride and I was normally used to sleeping in a mattress...without Riku drooling on my shoulder...without Larxene curling up on my other one. I groaned and brought my hand to my chest, not really paying attention to the fact that Larxene could've woken up.

Not...good.

"Shit, the necklace."

_xxXEnd...for now at leastXxx_

* * *

**-collapses with coffee- pahh...first ever KH story to be completed. yay! heheh, i started this about a year and a half ago around this time and now it's over for now. i think it's axie waxie's turn to tell a story now, yes? XD i hope to start a new branch (is this story a tree??) to this soon...hmm. -brain explodes- so much thinking! but, hey, i live to write! -praises pencil and computer- kuku**

**i haven't even gotten the chance to draw anything for this story yet no matter how much i reallllllly want to. -slap- too much homework! i need summer vacation. -sob- so far away.**

**well, guys, for those of you that have followed this story and have been able to bare with the annoying author notes, the drama, the angst, the citrus, the weeks of waiting for updates, and mostly the '...', i highly appreciate that you took the time to read, from my perspective, the mixed up twists and turns life does to a teenage mind. love really seemed hard for roxas during this story! but he went through change, no matter how much he might have felt like he suffered for it. maybe you'll get the chance to read what new changes will take place in axel's perspective. X3 he will possibly suffer too? maybe the sex ed lessons are still sticking around with these two...if they even get the chance to prove it!**

**there's so much i wish i could comment right now but school is taking over. neh. -curls into bed- i might as well listen to axel's quotes again. maybe this saturday will start a new story. ;3**

**_all my luff (i give you all my heart...even though axel stole most of it -chases him with pot-)  
kokoro77_**


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